Certain injuries, such as complete tears of the rotator cuff, often require surgical reconstruction. For dislocations, a doctor will set the shoulder back into place and generally keep the arm in a sling or immobilizer for a few weeks to allow healing. Unfortunately, studies have shown that up to 90 percent of people who dislocate their shoulder at a very young age will dislocate it again. To prevent this recurrence, some sports medicine specialists are turning to surgery after the first dislocation. Surgery is most often utilized in the dominant arm of a person who participates in overhead sports.
Shoulder injuries tend to take a long time to heal - sometimes up to six to nine months.
Time is often the most important component in the healing process. My child has been diagnosed with Little League shoulder. Unlike adults, children's bones are still growing. Little League shoulder is a stress reaction found in the growth plate of the upper portion of the humeral bone near the shoulder joint. It is similar to a fracture, and the treatment is to stop throwing until the area heals completely.