In a recent study of people under 30 years old with a shoulder dislocation, arthroscopy surgery was compared to the more traditional approach of slinging the shoulder. Nearly everyone who chose surgery had an excellent return to strength and movement without having a future dislocation. Most of the sling-only patients had another dislocation within the year. Share your concerns with your orthopedist.

You don't have to dislocate your shoulder to sense how much it would hurt. The ball of the upper arm bone, the humerus, gets pulled out of the socket, the glenoid. An injury like this can end up stretching and possibly even tearing important shoulder structures. 

Total shoulder replacement generally has a good rate of overall success. However, if a problem develops with the replacement shoulder, it is usually because the glenoid, or socket, component has failed. The glenoid part of an artificial shoulder prosthesis loosens in about 10 percent of cases. Sometimes the natural socket wears away so significantly or unevenly that there isn't enough bone to keep the artificial shoulder in place or placed correctly. 

A bone graft of the glenoid, or shoulder socket, may improve the outcome of total shoulder arthroplasty. A bone graft is used for cases in which the socket is worn away significantly or unevenly. In one recent study, nine of 17 cases of glenoid bone grafting showed good results in long-term follow-up. The procedure is complicated, however.

The most common reason total shoulder arthroplasties fail is loosening of the glenoid, or socket, component. Sometimes the new socket doesn't line up right, or it may loosen, move, or even dislocate. Loosening occurs in about 10 percent of cases.

Some patients with shoulder problems end up needing two different procedures to relieve their pain and return their range of motion. Arthroscopic subacromial decompression involves relieving pressure underneath the acromion (the top part of the shoulder blade). Arthroscopic resection of the clavicle (collarbone) involves taking off the end of the clavicle to relieve pain in the acromioclavicular (AC) joint. The AC joint is where the clavicle and acromion meet.

Repairing rotator cuff tears can give patients relief and return motion to their shoulders. But how well do these repairs hold up over time? These researchers looked at how a certain type of arthroscopic repair held up over the years. The mini-deltoid splitting method of repairing the rotator cuff involves slightly extending the incision on the point of the shoulder. In this way, the surgeon can separate the deltoid muscle to see and repair the torn rotator cuff.

Golf often results in rotator cuff injuries. Aging is also related to rotator cuff injures. The result is that many rotator cuff tears happen in recreational golfers. There have been studies to determine how effectively baseball pitchers or tennis players can return to competition after surgery to repair rotator cuff tears. But so far, there has been little information on recreational golfers.

Doctors and researchers know a lot about the short-term benefits of repairing rotator cuff tears. But how do these repairs hold up over time?

It depends why you are having symptoms. If your symptoms are caused by an inflamed bursa under the shoulder blade, a physical therapist can give you heat or ultrasound treatments to calm pain and inflammation. If you have problems with posture, a therapist can give you exercises to help you learn better body alignment and to strengthen the muscles that support healthy posture.