Dislocations nearly always require skilled aid to reduce them.
Shoulder-joint.—Patient cannot raise the arm to his head or perform any other shoulder movements freely. The shoulder is flattened, the elbow sticks out, and the limb is usually lengthened.
Treatment.—The patient should lie down. The operator removes his own boot on the same side as that of the patient’s dislocation, inserts his heel into the patient’s armpit and draws the arm steadily down, at the same time pressing the heel in an outward direction; the dislocated bone should slip back into its proper position. Put a pad in the armpit and bandage the arm to the side for a week; support arm in a sling for another week or two.
Elbow-joint.—Dislocation of the bones of the forearm backwards at the elbow-joint is fairly common.
Treatment.—This dislocation can usually be reduced by placing the knee in front of the patient’s elbow, and making firm traction on the forearm—which is at the same time bent a little around the operator’s knee. The patient can be kept sitting in a chair while this is done, and the operator can get his knee into the required position by placing his foot on the side of the chair.
Hip-joint.—Is the most common form of dislocation. The limb is shortened, bent at the knee and twisted inwards, the great toe of the injured limb resting on the instep of foot of the opposite limb. The outer side of the hip is swollen and distorted.
Treatment.—Grasp the ankle with one hand and the knee with the other. Lift up the leg and bend it at the hip, then carry it as a whole away from the other limb as far as possible, rotate the toes and foot firmly outwards, and in that position bring the limb back parallel to the sound one.
After-treatment of Dislocations.—After dislocations, gentle movement of the joints should be begun in two weeks, so as to prevent them becoming fixed.