Shoulder dislocation, commonly referred to as “dislocation”, is a very familiar shoulder trauma to the general public. If a patient experiences a shoulder dislocation and then has recurrent dislocations, it is called a habitual dislocation and is referred to by shoulder surgeons as shoulder instability. The vast majority of shoulder dislocations are the result of trauma (falls, car accidents). Other causes of dislocations include seizures, electroconvulsive therapy, and neurological dysfunction. What should we do after a shoulder dislocation occurs? Is it enough to put the joint back into position? Is there a better treatment for habitual dislocation than going to the hospital again and again to reset it? We would like to introduce the treatment and precautions for shoulder dislocation and habitual dislocation, taking trauma-induced shoulder dislocation as an example. If a patient is experiencing a shoulder dislocation for the first time, he or she has often suffered a very definite trauma. The shoulder is very painful and the patient is unable to move the shoulder joint, often holding the elbow joint on the affected side with his or her hand. The dislocated joint usually does not reset itself and treatment needs to be sought in a hospital. All shoulder dislocations require an x-ray to be taken at the hospital to understand the characteristics of the dislocation and to see if there is a fracture associated with it. Shoulder dislocations combined with fractures are very common in middle-aged and elderly patients. Once the injury is clearly understood, the orthopedic surgeon will perform a manual repositioning. After the shoulder joint has been repositioned, it does not mean that the treatment is completely finished, there are still the following points to be noted: 1. Protection of the shoulder joint: Since the dislocation has occurred, the stable structure of the shoulder joint must have been damaged. Therefore, it should be protected for a period of time after surgery. For young people, you can use a sling to protect the affected shoulder for 3~4 weeks. The older you are, the shorter the period of protective braking, which is to prevent the occurrence of shoulder stiffness. Once the sling is removed, you can gradually resume your daily activities. 2. Review: Younger patients have a higher chance of habitual shoulder dislocation. If dislocation occurs again, or if discomfort occurs in a certain position, you should go to the hospital; middle-aged and older patients with shoulder dislocation are prone to rotator cuff injury, in addition to combined fractures. The rotator cuff is an important structure that ensures that the shoulder joint can move normally. If there is still significant pain and discomfort after resetting, you should go to the hospital for a detailed examination of the presence of rotator cuff injury. The earlier the rotator cuff injury due to dislocation is repaired, the better the result, and the later the repair, the worse the result. 3. Rehabilitation exercises: Within 6 weeks after the dislocation, functional exercises should be carried out within a tolerable range to preserve the function of the shoulder joint to the maximum extent. The specific rehabilitation contents need to comply with medical advice, but the general principle is that the shoulder joint should not exceed 90 degrees of forward lift and 0 degrees of external rotation. For habitual shoulder dislocation, the treatment needs to depend on the injury and on the person. Firstly, the number of dislocations is analyzed: if the number of dislocations is less than 3, for the majority of patients it can be recommended to reduce the risk of recurrent dislocations by performing rehabilitation exercises and avoiding positions that induce dislocations; if dislocations occur frequently, each dislocation will increase the damage to the articular cartilage, lead to joint capsule laxity and bone destruction, and patients will find it easier and easier to dislocate and less and less painful to reset. Therefore, in order to avoid secondary joint damage due to dislocation, surgical treatment is recommended for multiple dislocations. Second, analysis of the patient’s age: the chance of habitual instability in patients under 25 years of age is more than 50%, and many patients will keep dislocating. The reason for this is that in young patients with initial dislocation, the anterior stabilizing structures of the shoulder joint are damaged and heal malformed, making it difficult to heal unless surgery is performed to restore the anterior stabilizing structures. For middle-aged and elderly patients, it is difficult to have a habitual dislocation by simple dislocation. Once dislocation occurs again, most of them have damage to the rotator cuff, which needs to be checked and repaired surgically as early as possible, otherwise the delayed rotator cuff damage will bring long time pain and functional limitation to the patient. Once again, the patient’s needs are analyzed: some patients resolutely refuse to undergo surgery no matter how many times they have been dislocated. The main methods of non-surgical treatment are rehabilitation exercises and avoidance of movements that induce dislocation. Unfortunately, rehabilitation exercises are effective in no more than 15% of cases, and it is mainly necessary to reduce the risk of dislocation by avoiding dislocation-inducing movements. However, as the number of dislocations increases and the joint damage becomes more severe, the functional impairment of the patient’s shoulder joint will become more severe. Some patients have high functional demands, and more than three habitual dislocations require surgical treatment. For professional athletes who are on the rise in their career, it is not too much to ask for surgical repair for the first dislocation. Surgical treatment: The majority of habitual dislocations of the shoulder can be well treated with minimally invasive shoulder arthroscopy techniques. The earlier the treatment, the simpler the surgery and the better the results. For patients with a large number of dislocations and secondary bone destruction, it is possible that a traditional approach of incisional surgery may be required. The method of rehabilitation after surgical treatment needs to depend on the content of the surgery. Usually, the best results can be obtained by rehabilitation exercises under the guidance of a professional rehabilitator. For habitual shoulder dislocations, whether the patient wishes surgical or non-surgical treatment, it is advisable to seek the help of a shoulder specialist. The doctor will conduct a detailed examination and analysis of the patient and develop the best treatment plan through thorough communication with the patient.