Dislocations

Abstract

A dislocation of a joint infers that the cartilaginous, articulating surfaces of the end of two bones are no longer in contact with each other. If a joint is subluxated, the normal anatomic position is no longer maintained, but there is still some contact between articulating surfaces. Joint dislocations are managed emergently because of the risk of injury to articular cartilage, potential compromise to vascular supply, compression of nervous structures, and to prevent hard to correct muscular contractions from forming. Common joint dislocations that are important to identify and are managed by the orthopedic provider include: sternoclavicular, shoulder, elbow, carpus, carpometacarpal, phalangeal, hip, knee, ankle, subtalar, tarsal, and foot phalangeal dislocations.