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Updated: Aug 24, 2026

Reverse Total Shoulder Arthroplasty
Published on: July 5, 2011
Ball-thrower's fracture of the humerus
Eric B Callaghan1, D Lee Bennett, Georges Y El-Khoury
1Department of Radiology, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, 200 Hawkins Drive, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA. callaghane@mail.medicine.uiowa.edu
Abstract:
A relatively rare case of ball-thrower's fracture of the humerus is presented. Severe muscular action is an uncommon cause of humeral fractures but has been well documented in the orthopedic literature. To our knowledge, this fracture has not been described in the radiology literature, and awareness of this entity could preclude further unnecessary workup. The mechanism of injury and its typical radiographic appearance is described.
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