Some joints are prone to dislocation. This is particularly true of the shoulder joint due to it’s shallow socket and the fact that it is mostly held in place by a group of muscles and tendons that make up the rotator cuff. The hip is also somewhat prone to dislocation for similar reasons but less so due to the thickness and strength of the ligaments supporting it. When a shoulder dislocates it almost always does so in the anterior, or forward direction, when the arm is out to the side and externally rotated as is the case when you throw a ball.
The forces through the joint in this position put great stress on the shoulder capsule, glenohumoral ligaments (there are 3 of them) and subscapularis muscle and tendon. The shoulder capsule is a thin sheath of connective tissue that surrounds the joint and contains synovial fluid to lubricate the joint. The glenohumoral ligaments are tough bands of connective tissue that keep the upper arm bone (humerus) attached to the shallow shoulder socket also known as the glenoid fossa.
It is these four relatively small structures (glenohumoral ligaments, shoulder capsule and supscapularis) that prevent the shoulder joint from dislocating in the anterior, or forward, direction. It is easy to imagine being in a throwing position and getting hit from behind or falling in such a way to put pressure on the back of the shoulder and having the upper arm push forward to dislocate the joint. Once this happens all the supporting structures get stretched making the shoulder joint more prone to another dislocation.
This is one scenario where prolotherapy and PRP have great utility. Injecting the ligaments, tendons and joint capsule with a prolotherapy solution or with your own platelets (PRP) causes your body to initiate an inflammatory reaction that heals and tightens stretched ligaments and tendons. Over time and 2 to 6 treatments the glenohumoral ligaments, shoulder capsule and rotator cuff tendons get larger, stronger and tighter and improve stability of the shoulder joint.
If you have ongoing issues related to shoulder or hip dislocation (or any other joint dislocation for that matter) you might consider prolotherapy or PRP as a treatment option.