1.Why does habitual dislocation of the shoulder joint occur? Habitual dislocation of the shoulder joint often occurs after a traumatic injury. The first dislocation will cause the ligament tissue, which keeps the shoulder joint stable, to tear off. During the repositioning, the joint is reset, but it is often difficult to restore the torn ligaments to their original position, so the shoulder joint is missing an important stabilizing structure in front of it. Thereafter, every time you move to an angle that is more prone to dislocation, you will experience dislocation due to the lack of the necessary blocking structure in front of you, which causes habitual dislocation of the shoulder joint. 2. Does everyone who has a shoulder dislocation become habitually dislocated? No, it does not. Modern research suggests that whether a shoulder dislocation becomes a recurrent dislocation is closely related to the age of the patient when the dislocation first occurred. If the first dislocation occurs in a young person, say before the age of 30, the majority of these patients will become recurrent dislocations because they tend to have a good recovery of shoulder mobility after repositioning, and the patient usually has a greater range of motion in the shoulder joint. If the first dislocation occurs in middle-aged or older patients, such as those over 40 years of age, it is often difficult for them to recover the range of motion of the shoulder joint after the dislocation to the level before the dislocation, so the chances of recurrence are relatively low. 3.What should I do if I have a recurrent dislocation of the shoulder? If the shoulder joint has been dislocated more than once before, i.e. recurrent dislocation, then according to the more recognized research results at home and abroad, I am afraid that only surgical treatment can completely eliminate the risk of future recurrence. Some patients may be able to reduce recurrence by limiting their shoulder mobility. This is because dislocation generally occurs only when the shoulder joint is moved to a certain position. However, as mentioned earlier, recurrent dislocations tend to occur in younger patients, where there is a lot of daily upper extremity activity, and it is often difficult to completely refrain from movements that could result in dislocation. 4.What kinds of surgery are available to treat recurrent shoulder dislocations? There are many types of surgery, which can be broadly divided into two types: incisional surgery and arthroscopic surgery. Incisional surgery is a traditional surgery with a large incision under direct visualization, which is generally more invasive and slower to recover than arthroscopic surgery. Arthroscopic surgery is a new surgical approach that has emerged in the last decade or so. Generally speaking, the procedure requires only a few small incisions and is performed with the aid of arthroscopic instruments, resulting in less trauma and a better recovery for the patient. The choice of surgery depends largely on the severity of the injury. Repeated dislocations can cause damage to the bones surrounding the joint, and if this bony damage is too severe, arthroscopic surgery cannot be used and an incision is required. It is recommended that once there is more than one dislocation of the shoulder joint, surgery should be performed as soon as possible for better results. In addition, a 3D CT examination should be done before surgery to determine the way of surgery. 5.When is the best time to operate after a recurrent dislocation? If the dislocation is already recurrent, the sooner the surgery is performed, the better the result will be. This is because each dislocation will aggravate the damage to the ligaments, joint capsule and bones around the shoulder joint, thus increasing the difficulty of surgery. 6.How long does it take to recover after arthroscopic surgery? After surgery, the affected limb needs to be protected by a triangular scarf or sling on the chest for 6 weeks to allow the repaired ligaments to heal, and after 6 weeks, functional rehabilitation of the affected limb begins. At this time, the affected limb can be used for activities of daily living, but not for sports. By six months after surgery, you can start some less strenuous sports activities, such as running, sit-ups, breaststroke, etc., but not freestyle, backstroke, butterfly, tennis or badminton. By one year after surgery, you can do any sports.