Question
QUESTION: My mother pulled a muscle in her arm/shoulder..would you recommend a shoulder wrap, a sling or an arm brace? Mom also keeps saying she feels like the bone is falling further and further down and her arm is swelling a bit.

ANSWER: Hello Ms. Wilson,

I would recommend that your mother be evaluated by a medical professional.  I would like to know the answers to the following questions:

What was the mechanism of injury, i.e. Was it the result of a fall or a lifting injury?
What is your mother's age?
Is there a history of osteoporosis?
Is there a history of previous injury, surgical intervention?
Has she had any imaging, MRI, X-ray?

Until she sees a medical professional, I would suggest a sling to give her some support.  I hope this was helpful.  Sorry for the delay getting back to you.

Cheers,
Ray Infanti, D.C.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: What was the mechanism of injury, i.e. Was it the result of a fall or a lifting injury? My mom has been doing some pretty heavy lifting lately because we are in the process of moving. But she has had this problem all her life. Her arms and legs have been popping out for years, even before I was born. Currently, her shoulder is out, causing her arm to be swollen and when she tries to move it around, you can literally hear the bone popping or something.

What is your mother's age? Today is my mom's birthday (Apri 14th) and she just turned 48.

Is there a history of osteoporosis? I'm unaware if there is a long family history of Osteoporosis but my Grandmother (My mom's mother) was in fact diagnosed with it a few years ago.

Is there a history of previous injury, surgical intervention? Well, when mom was a child, her arms and legs would pop out and she did see a doctor a couple of times. He recommended surgery to her but she decided against it. He warned her that it would get worse and it seems like he was exactly right. BTW her 2 brothers also had surgery on their arm(s).
Has she had any imaging, MRI, X-ray? To my knowledge, she had an x-ray done years ago. Probably over 30 years ago. Not recently, though!

Answer
Hello Ms. Wilson:

With this new information I would reassert that she should be looked at by a specialist.  I would want to rule out some type of collagen based deformity/laxity i.e. Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome.  Again I would suggest a sling to allow some stability to the joint.  I hope this information has been helpful.

Regards,
Ray Infanti, D.C.