Dodgers Shohei Ohtani Suffers Shoulder Subluxation In Win Vs. Yankees

Los Angeles Dodgers fans may have let out a big “Uh, oh,” when they saw that Shohei Ohtani had hurt his left shoulder.

This shoulder subluxation injury came in the seventh inning of what otherwise should have been an oh-so-great 4-2 win for the Dodgers over the New York Yankees in Game 2 of the World Series.

Ohtani was attempting to steal second base when he slid past the bag and began rolling on the ground holding his left arm, which is not what you want to see your superstar doing.

Dodgers assistant athletic trainer Yosuke Nakajima came out and helped Ohtani back to the dugout and into the clubhouse while supporting Ohtani’s arm.

After the win that put the Dodgers ahead in the World Series two games to none, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts mentioned that Ohtani’s injury was a subluxation of his shoulder and that further testing will occur, as reported by Valentina Martinez for Sports Illustrated.

What is a Shoulder Subluxation?

What’s a subluxation? Well, when it comes to the proper functioning the shoulder joint it’s location, location, location. The ball of your upper arm bone known as the humerus is supposed to fit inside the socket formed by the glenoid. When this head of the humerus gets completely pulled out of the socket, it’s a dislocation, dislocation, dislocation.

But when the ball comes only partially out of the glenoid socket, it’s considered a subluxation of the shoulder. Obviously, a partial dislocation of the humerus is better than a complete one.

But the situation is still not very humorous. The symptoms of a subluxed shoulder can be very similar to that of a fully dislocated shoulder: weakness, pain, swelling, numbness, or a pins-and-needles feeling in your arm.

When it happens, you probably won’t completely go, “Oh, it’s clear that this is a subluxation of my shoulder, a partial dislocation rather than a complete dislocation.” No, instead you’ll probably go, “Owwwwwwwwww” and need a doctor to check to determine the difference.

In a subluxation, though, the shoulder is more is more likely to pop back into place by itself. If it doesn’t, don’t try to push the humerus back in place yourself.

Doing so could cause damage to all of the stuff surrounding and supporting your shoulder joint, like your ligaments and muscles.

Regardless of whether your shoulder does go back into place by itself, it’s a good idea to get it checked out by a doctor as soon as possible because whenever the head of humerus moves out of the socket even partially damage to the surrounding structures could occur.

It’s also a good idea to keep your shoulder supported, like with a sling or splint, so that your joint doesn’t go a-rocking even more.