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What Are the Symptoms?

When a bone becomes dislocated, you can usually tell by looking at the joint that it's not right. The joint will look odd, misshapen. You may see a "dent" in the socket.

In many cases, the force of the action stretches or tears the ligaments that hold the bone inside the joint. Often, there is swelling and bleeding inside the joint, causing a bruise. There may be nerve damage. Moving the arm will likely be difficult and quite painful. It will continue to hurt until the bone is put back into place.