The first time Gabe Nevin dislocated his shoulder, he was on a kayaking trip in his home state of Idaho. The injury was repaired, and Gabe, then a 16-year-old high school student, went back to kayaking and other sports. Soon after, Gabe's shoulder dislocated again. Over the next five years, Gabe experienced a cycle of recurrent dislocations and repairs, forcing him to stop participating in sports. Even day-to-day activities had to be done cautiously, because Gabe never knew when his shoulder might dislocate again.

Shoulder dislocations occur when the top (head) of the humerus (upper arm bone), comes out of its socket. In most cases, dislocated joints can be repaired fairly easily using manual techniques, rest and rehabilitation. Occasionally, the condition recurs and becomes chronic. Aside from being painful and preventing normal use of the limb, repeat dislocations can damage nerves and ligaments. Surgery to tighten the ligaments usually relieves the problem, but in some cases, such as Gabe's, additional intervention is necessary.

In Gabe's case, his doctor was finally able to take advantage of a newly developed bioabsorbable implant. Inserted into the shoulder via minimally invasive arthroscopic surgery, it works to hold the joint and ligaments in place, preventing new dislocations. This has made a huge difference in Gabe's life, enabling him to resume kayaking and other sports. "My shoulder is now stable and stronger. I can trust it," he says.

Gabe would like to see more funding for the kind of research used to develop the fixation device that finally resolved his problem. "Hopefully, we can develop smaller and less invasive devices to fix shoulders and other joints," he says, noting that development of new materials and designs for prosthetic devices is a growing area of musculoskeletal research.

Other vital research areas include studies on preventing injuries, increasing the use of minimally invasive surgery techniques for repairing injuries and placing implants, and slowing degenerative joint diseases. These studies will ultimately benefit patients with many different types of joint problems.