After a dislocated shoulder that didn’t need surgery, most people only need the sling for about a WEEK, and mainly for comfort.
Wearing it for three weeks or more hasn’t been shown to lower the chance of it dislocating again. Neither has a special brace that holds the arm turned outward.
What does matter is getting moving early and not rushing back to contact sport.
If you had SURGERY, ignore this page and follow your surgeon’s sling instructions. A repair needs protecting for longer.
Week by week
- Days 0 to 7: sling on for comfort. Take it off to wash and dress. Keep the elbow, wrist and hand moving
- Weeks 1 to 3: sling off during the day as pain allows. Gentle shoulder movement guided by your physio. Avoid the “throwing” position: arm out to the side and turned back
- Weeks 3 to 6: movement building toward full range. Light strengthening for the rotator cuff and shoulder blade muscles
- Weeks 6 to 12: heavier strengthening and sport-specific work
- Contact and overhead sport: only once strength and control are back and your physio or doctor clears you
The sling protects your comfort, not your future. Movement and patience with sport do more.
In the sling
- Elbow at a right angle, hand level with or a little above the elbow so it doesn’t swell
- Squeeze a soft ball and bend and straighten the elbow several times a day
- Sleep propped up on pillows, or on the other side hugging a pillow to support the sore arm
- Wash your armpit by leaning forward and letting the arm hang slightly away from your body
If your sling is for a broken collarbone rather than a dislocation, see broken collarbone recovery.
What about the outward-turned brace?
- The idea: holding the arm turned outward presses the torn rim back against the socket so it heals in place
- The results: one early trial looked promising. Later trials mostly found no clear difference
- The guidelines: UK and US shoulder guidelines don’t recommend it routinely
- If you’ve been given one, it isn’t harmful. Just don’t expect it to guarantee your shoulder stays in
Going back to sport
- Going back early is the big risk. In athletes who returned to play within about 10 days in a brace, around 7 in 10 dislocated again. Waiting about six weeks cut that to around 1 in 10
- A brace can get you back sooner, but it doesn’t protect you the way waiting does
- If you’re young and play contact or overhead sport, talk about surgery before the season. See surgery after a first dislocation
Go to the emergency department now if
- The shoulder comes out again and stays out
- The hand goes cold, pale or numb
- Swelling spreads fast down the arm
Get it checked if
- You’re over 40 and can’t lift the arm above shoulder height at two weeks. See dislocated shoulder over 40
- The shoulder feels like it’s slipping or about to come out
- Pain is getting worse after the first week instead of better
- Numbness on the outer upper arm isn’t improving
For the odds of it happening again, see will a dislocated shoulder pop out again?
About a week in the sling, early movement, and patience before contact sport.