Chronic Irreducible Anterior Dislocation of the Shoulder without Significant Functional Deficit

Clin Orthop Surg. 2016 Sep;8(3):333-8. doi: 10.4055/cios.2016.8.3.333. Epub 2016 Aug 10.

Abstract

Shoulder dislocation is frequently encountered by orthopedists, and closed manipulation is often sufficient to treat the injury in an acute setting. Although most dislocations are diagnosed and managed promptly, there are rare cases that are missed or neglected, leading to a chronically dislocated state of the joint. They are usually irreducible and cause considerable pain and functional disability in most affected patients, prompting the need to find a surgical method to reverse the worsening conditions caused by the dislocated joint. However, there are cases of even greater rarity in which chronic shoulder dislocations are asymptomatic with minimal functional or structural degeneration in the joint. These patients are usually left untreated, and most show good tolerance to their condition without developing disabling symptoms or significant functional loss over time. We report on one such patient who had a chronic shoulder dislocation for more than 2 years without receiving treatment.

Keywords: Chronic dislocation; Irreducible; Shoulder joint; Untreated.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Accidental Falls
  • Aged
  • Humans
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging
  • Male
  • Radiography
  • Range of Motion, Articular
  • Recurrence
  • Rotator Cuff Injuries* / diagnosis
  • Rotator Cuff Injuries* / diagnostic imaging
  • Rotator Cuff Injuries* / physiopathology
  • Shoulder Dislocation* / diagnosis
  • Shoulder Dislocation* / diagnostic imaging
  • Shoulder Dislocation* / physiopathology
  • Shoulder* / diagnostic imaging
  • Shoulder* / pathology
  • Shoulder* / physiopathology