Osteonecrosis: an overuse injury of the shoulder in paraplegia: case report

The shoulder of the wheelchair dependent paraplegic is subject to overuse injury with subsequent pain. The major overuse syndromes observed include soft tissue injuries and secondary degenerative arthritis. This report presents a case in which bilateral osteonecrosis of the humeral heads was found to be the source of pain in the shoulders of an active paraplegic without any evidence of disease or medical treatment associated with the development of osteonecrosis. Osteonecrosis should be entertained in the differential diagnosis of overuse injuries of the shoulder in paraplegia.