Bilateral shoulder fracture dislocations and radiculopathies secondary to electrical injury (a case report)

In this report a case of bilateral shoulder fracture dislocations and C5 radiculopathy developed after an electrical injury is presented.

A 29 year-old male patient referred to our hospital with complaints of inability to raise his hands overhead starting 3 months ago after an electrical injury. The first physical examination revealed loss of strength (3/5) in deltoid muscles bilaterally, bilateral shoulder fracture dislocations and C5 radiculopathies. An open reduction and internal fixation (using K wire, cortical screw) procedure was applied for the right side in the Department of Orthopedics. Postoperatively active (A) and passive (P) ranges of motion (ROMs) were restricted extremely in the right and left shoulder respectively. Since applications of 15 sessions of electrical stimulation for deltoid muscle and physical treatment for both shoulders failed to achieve satisfactory ROMs, K wire extraction was instituted with resultant increase in the right shoulder A/P ROMs after 10 sessions of physical therapy postoperatively. At the last examination which was 18 months after the injury, ROMs of the right shoulder were increased, but not normal.

It must be remembered that in electrical injury, fractures and dislocations might occur in affected sites without any evidence of trauma with associated neurologic complications, and that these cases must be promptly detected and managed without any delay.