Dislocation occurs when any part of the body moves from its normal position. The term usually refers to the movement out of normal position of the bones of a joint (see Joint ). When bones become dislocated, they do not meet properly at the joint. This usually results in pain and swelling.
Sometimes in dislocation the bones of a joint are pulled out of place only slightly. Physicians call this a subluxation or incomplete dislocation. In other cases, the bones become completely separated from each other. This is a complete dislocation. A physician corrects a dislocation by manipulating the bones to return them to their normal position. This procedure is called reducing the dislocation. Some dislocated joints may return to their normal position naturally. In simple dislocation, the patient has no external wound. A compound dislocation is one accompanied by a wound opening from the body surface. When a dislocation occurs in the same joint many times, physicians say it is habitual.
Some types of dislocation are congenital, or present at birth. These may be hereditary, or may be caused by some factor before or during birth. An example is congenital dislocation of the hip.
