I just saw this thread...

I thought I had some experience with three dislocations, but Duane's got me beat. I've thrown out my right shoulder twice, and did the left one in April when a ProBox lid got away from me (don't be stupid like me, pay attention to the wind). I was 17 the first time, and after a trip to the emergency room I was given a sling, some 600mg ibuprofen tablets, and instructed to come back in two weeks. Not knowing what else to do I sat around the house for the first two weeks of summer vacation bored out of my mind. When I saw the doc again he made an appointment for me with the physical therapist. PT was basically light weight training, with a few exercises to get some motion back. I was given some resistance bands to use at home (which I still have). I recommend getting some.

The second time was in 2010 and I was able to pop it back on my own, but then I stupidly tried to put a coat on and go to work, which necessitated a trip to the doctor. I don't know if it popped completely out the second time that day because after sitting in the waiting room for 30 minutes it was feeling better and an x-ray showed no dislocation. Again, I was given pain meds and told to come back in two weeks. Rehab wasn't recommended this time (different doctor than the first incident), so I just took it easy for a while.

After the third time, the ER staff gave me a paper with some actual instructions. It said I could take the sling off for a few hours a day and move the shoulder around to get some motion restored. I ended up not wearing a sling at all, as it was fairly easy to keep everything immobilized (moving it hurt!). The PA who relocated everything suggested I come back in a week for a follow-up, but said if I was feeling a lot better it wasn't mandatory. She also prescribed 600mg of ibuprofen three times a day for four days, presumably to cut down on inflammation. It's been about two and a half months now and I think I'm healing up well. I still can't put my left arm behind my back as far as I used to (it really hurts the elbow for some reason), but I'm able to reach for things and put my arm behind my head again. The shoulder and arm are still weak, though. It's going to take some work to get back to full strength.

For kicks and giggles, this is what I did in April: