Los Angeles Dodgers fans may have let out a big “Uh, oh,” when they saw that Shohei Ohtani had hurt his left shoulder. This shoulder subluxation injury came in the seventh inning of what otherwise should have been an oh-so-great 4-2 win for the Dodgers over the New York Yankees in Game 2 of the World Series.
Ohtani was attempting to steal second base when he slid past the bag and began rolling on the ground holding his left arm, which is not what you want to see your superstar doing. Dodgers assistant athletic trainer Yosuke Nakajima came out and helped Ohtani back to the dugout and into the clubhouse while supporting Ohtani’s arm. After the win that put the Dodgers ahead in the World Series two games to none, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts mentioned that Ohtani’s injury was a subluxation of his shoulder and that further testing will occur, as reported by Valentina Martinez for Sports Illustrated.
What is a Shoulder Subluxation?
What’s a subluxation? Well, when it comes to the proper functioning the shoulder joint it’s location, location, location. The ball of your upper arm bone known as the humerus is supposed to fit inside the socket formed by the glenoid. When this head of the humerus gets completely pulled out of the socket, it’s a dislocation, dislocation, dislocation.
But when the ball comes only partially out of the glenoid socket, it’s considered a subluxation of the shoulder. Obviously, a partial dislocation of the humerus is better than a complete one. But the situation is still not very humorous. The symptoms of a subluxed shoulder can be very similar to that of a fully dislocated shoulder: weakness, pain, swelling, numbness, or a pins-and-needles feeling in your arm. When it happens, you probably won’t completely go, “Oh, it’s clear that this is a subluxation of my shoulder, a partial dislocation rather than a complete dislocation.” No, instead you’ll probably go, “Owwwwwwwwww” and need a doctor to check to determine the difference.
In a subluxation, though, the shoulder is more is more likely to pop back into place by itself. If it doesn’t, don’t try to push the humerus back in place yourself. Doing so could cause damage to all of the stuff surrounding and supporting your shoulder joint, like your ligaments and muscles.
Regardless of whether your shoulder does go back into place by itself, it’s a good idea to get it checked out by a doctor as soon as possible because whenever the head of humerus moves out of the socket even partially damage to the surrounding structures could occur. It’s also a good idea to keep your shoulder supported, like with a sling or splint, so that your joint doesn’t go a-rocking even more.
That’s why it’s difficult to tell what the full situation is with Ohtani until the doctors are able to get more imaging of the shoulder joint. A plain X-ray can show how far out of the socket the humerus head is, which can help determine the initial care plan. But an MRI may be needed to see what kind of damage to the other structures has occurred.
How is a Shoulder Subluxation Be Treated?
Presumably doctors have already moved Ohtani’s humerus head back in place via something called a closed reduction. Now a closed reduction may sound like some kind of secret cooking sauce but it isn’t. It’s where the doctor gently maneuvers and rotates your arm until the humeral head slides back in place.
One key word here is “doctor.” You don’t want some dude or dudette you just met at the local Starbucks to be shoving your joint into place and causing more damage. The other key word hear is “gently.” You never want to hear the word “shove” when someone is doing a closed reduction.
This whole process could hurt like a bleeper bleeper. So, you may need to get a pain reliever or even go under with general anesthesia before commencing with the procedure. Getting the joint in place should immediately ease a lot of the pain.
It’s called a closed reduction because it doesn’t involve surgery that would entail opening up the skin and soft tissue in that area in some way. Surgery is usually not needed unless the shoulder somehow can’t be put back in place or other damage needs to be fixed. Surgery may also be needed if you are suffering repeated subluxations and there is evidence that your shoulder has become loose due to damage to the supporting structures.
Once a closed reduction has presumably successfully put the humeral head back in place, it’s a good idea to get X-rays afterwards to make sure that your shoulder looks back in proper position.
What is the Prognosis After a Shoulder Subluxation?
Now, if Ohtani were just your regular Joe, he’d probably be keeping his shoulder immobilized in a sling for a few weeks after the closed reduction. After all, the average Joe may not really need to use his left shoulder, except maybe to gesture dramatically on a date or at the office water cooler. Such immobilization can keep the humerus from shifting out again and allow the surrounding tissue time to heal. Ice can help reduce the swelling in and around the joint. Anti-inflammatory medications can as well. But be careful about taking too many of such medications.
But Ohtani isn’t your average Joe. He is freaking Shohei Ohtani, the first major league baseball player to ever hit more than 50 home runs and steal more than 50 bases in a single season. The Dodgers organization is trying to win their eighth World Series against a Yankees organization that has already won, oh, like 27 of them. They kind of could use Ohtani playing.
The big trouble with any type of shoulder dislocation is that once it’s happened it’s more likely to happen again. That’s because all of that stuff around the shoulder may have become weakened. That’s why you may want to get physical therapy to strengthen the muscles around the joint.
If you can, avoid activities that might dislocate your shoulder again like lifting or throwing heavy objects. Yes, I know, this means that you may want to stop shotputting and finding something else to do during dinner parties.
Roberts did say, “I’m expecting him to be there,” when asked whether Ohtani will be available for Game 3 that will take place in Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York City, as reported by Alden Gonzales for ESPN. But he and everyone else won’t get a better picture of Ohtani’s availability until doctors get a more detailed picture of his shoulder. And that will probably include an MRI.
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