<p>I had my last dislocation 2 years ago yesterday. I was in the backcountry and I never and wouldn't have thought about popping it in myself. Long story short, I had to be rescued off the mountain and it took 3 hours before it was popped back in. The rescuers wouldn't do it without an xray. Had a latarjet. Doesn't pop out anymore but I now have severe glenohumeral osteoarthritis and a total shoulder replacement is in my future. Might have been worse if I tried doing it myself, but who really knows?</p>

I'm not a physician, but I think that it really depends on the situation. An incorrectly performed reduction can have devastating consequences, but so can leaving a shoulder dislocated for an extended period of time. I think that in the example of a pro or college football game, there will usually be someone on-site who's qualified to fix the problem. If you dislocate your shoulder during a recreational game and your friend offers to fix it for you, it's probably best to visit the ER and have a doctor do it instead. [br][br]In certain cases - such as an injury that occurs in the backcountry hours away from any medical help - people have even performed their own reductions. Ouch![br][br][p=text-align: center;][img=246x261]http://ams.body1.com/assets/LizH/dislocated shoulder1.jpg[/img][/p]

You should ask a Sports Medicince doctor that question. Good luck!

As I understand it, reduction is popping a shoulder back in after it pops out. I learned this by reading http://www.shoulder1.com/Care/Procedure20.cfm/24 . Here's my question: If a shoulder pops out during sports, which happens particularly in American football (such as in http://www.shoulder1.com/News/MainStory.cfm/7 ), should the trainers and/or coaches try to pop it back in? Thanks,