The shoulder comprises a complex matrix of bone and soft tissue that enables an extreme range of motion. But the price the shoulder pays for that range of motion is a greater risk of chronic injury.

Sometimes the bones in the joint slip out of normal alignment or are forced out by injury-subluxation and dislocation. For those individuals who suffer from chronic shoulder instability, dislocations may occur frequently. This occurs because first dislocations usually require a significant amount of force as in anterior dislocations, in which the anterior static shoulder stabilizers are stretched or torn away from the bone. Approximately 95% of shoulder dislocations are this type and typically occur when a person falls on their outstretched hand, or sustains a downward motion blow to the shoulder.

Until recently it was common in cases of dislocation to immobilize the shoulder for long periods of time. But studies showed that while immobilization helped alleviate the pain of such injuries, it also contributed to a general weakening of the ligaments and predominance of adhesive capsulitis.

The shoulder is held together by soft tissue stabilizers, the ligaments that connect bone to bone. Over the course of time, especially in sports that involve heavy shoulder-to-shoulder contact (such as hockey, lacrosse, football, wrestling, and basketball), the ligaments may stretch out and become “lax.” When the ligaments become lax, the risk of dislocation and separation becomes greater.

In a study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, researchers took a look at rugby players with measurable shoulder laxity to gauge the risk of shoulder dislocation. What they found was that 50% of the athletes tested were at significant risk.

It is estimated that 95% of shoulder dislocations occur when athletes suffer a blow to the shoulder that forces the shoulder joint “back” or downward, or occur when they fall to the ground with their arms stretched over their heads.

Chronic Shoulder Dislocation Treatment

Traumatic shoulder dislocation is a frequent injury in the sports population. An acute shoulder dislocation often means a one-time traumatic episode, whereas chronic shoulder instability indicates multiple recurrent dislocations.

Following an initial shoulder dislocation, doctors debate whether or not to perform surgery to prevent recurrence. If there is an accompanying labral or tendon tear, that can be addressed along with tightening of the capsule around the joint. This can lead to a loss of range of motion. I have used Stem Cell Therapy with platelets (both are in the bone marrow) or just PRP from the blood, both with good results, to tighten the shoulder after a failed surgery for chronic dislocations.

If the patient is under 30 years of age, shoulder surgery is typically recommended by surgeons because younger athletes are much more prone to repeated dislocations than older athletes. Until recently, it was common in cases of dislocation to immobilize the shoulder for long periods of time. But studies showed that while immobilization helped alleviate the pain of such injuries, it also
contributed to a general weakening of the ligaments and predominance of “adhesive capsulitis,” where the arm is frozen (frozen shoulder) and can no longer be lifted.

Surgery for shoulder dislocation can be effective for some but, as always, surgery should be considered a last option because of issues of complications, downtime (immobilization), and—for both the “weekend warrior” and the professional athlete—a weakening of the shoulder through the removal of or damage to other connective tissue in the surgical process.

Some athletes may opt for immediate surgery because of the typical six-month healing time (if healing occurs at all) required in the case of a Bankart lesion (an injury of the anterior [inferior] glenoid labrum) without Stem Cell Therapy or PRP. Researchers have pointed out that “[r]epairs of degenerate and torn tissue are often prone to failure due to many intrinsic and extrinsic factors” and that Platelet-Rich Plasma Therapy has been shown to reduce pain and improve recovery in shoulder tears.(1)

The key to avoiding shoulder surgery or shoulder separation requiring surgery is to strengthen the shoulder girdle. This can be accomplished by working the strong shoulder muscle group and by
treating the weakened shoulder ligaments with injections of regenerative medicine.

To understand the importance of having strong ligaments to hold the shoulder together, the patient needs to understand that the severity of the shoulder dislocation is measured by the degree of injury to the ligaments and the amount of instability of the joint.

Shoulder Separation

The acromioclavicular (AC) and the coracoclavicular (CC) ligaments hold the shoulder together at the point where the collarbone (clavicle) and the top (acromion) of the shoulder meet. This joint can also be traumatically separated. I see this most commonly in bicycling accidents in which the patient has flown over the handlebars and landed on the shoulder.

This is a very small joint that heals well with regenerative medicine.

• In type I level separation, the AC is partially torn; the CC is not.
• In type II separation, the AC is completely torn; the CC is partially or not torn.
• In type III separation, both ligaments are completely torn.

With this injury one can often see the collarbone sticking up above the top of the shoulder. Obviously, the more significant the tearing, the longer the athlete is out of their sport. Untreated shoulder instability can lead to an alteration of an athlete’s game to protect the sore shoulder, or, worse, chronic shoulder separation that can keep athletes away from their sport for significant amounts of time.

Bone Marrow aspirated stem cells injected into the shoulder

The concept behind both stem cell therapy and platelet rich plasma therapy in treating chronic shoulder dislocation or subluxation is that the treatments will repair and strengthen the soft tissue within the should capsule to restore and maintain shoulder stability.

This is pointed out in our research which appears in the peer-reviewed journal Cogent Medicine. The study can be found here in its entirety: Treatment of shoulder osteoarthritis and rotator cuff tears with bone marrow concentrate and whole bone marrow injections with a June 20, 2019 publication date.

Here we were able to demonstrate that:

• Patients with rotator cuff tendinopathy and degenerative shoulder disease would benefit from either one and two stem cell treatments. Patients reported significant improvements in resting pain, active pain, and functionality score when compared to baseline.
• These groups also experienced a 42.25% and 50.17% overall improvement respectively.

Conclusions: Our study demonstrated that patients diagnosed with shoulder osteoarthritis or rotator cuff tears experienced symptomatic improvements in pain and functionality when injected with bone marrow concentrate (BMC) or whole bone marrow (WBM).

To treat chronic shoulder dislocations, you must treat the whole shoulder

Stem cells and Platelet Rich Plasma Therapy are injection techniques that can accelerate the body’s own inflammatory response to repair the labral damage. But treating the whole shoulder capsule, we can not only repair the labrum, but we can also protect it from damage and shoulder instability caused by compromised shoulder structures, such as ligaments and tendons. By treating the whole shoulder, we can strengthen these weakened elements and stabilize the entire joint.

Do you have a question about your shoulder issues for Dr. Darrow?

A leading provider of stem cell therapy, platelet rich plasma and prolotherapy
11645 WILSHIRE BOULEVARD SUITE 120, LOS ANGELES, CA 90025

PHONE: (800) 300-9300 or 310-231-7000

Stem cell and PRP injections for musculoskeletal conditions are not FDA approved. We do not treat disease. We do not offer IV treatments. There are no guarantees that this treatment will help you. Prior to our treatment, seek advice from your medical physician. Neither Dr. Darrow, nor any associate, offer medical advice from this transmission. This information is offered for educational purposes only. The transmission of this information does not create a physician-patient relationship between you and Dr. Darrow or any associate. We do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, usefulness or adequacy of any resource, information, product, or process available from this transmission. We cannot be responsible for the receipt of your email since spam filters and servers often block their receipt. If you have a medical issue, please call our office. If you have a medical emergency, please call 911.

1 Mei-Dan O, Carmont MR. The role of platelet-rich plasma in rotator cuff repair. Sports Med Arthrosc. 2011 Sep;19(3):244-50.