A Woman with Right Shoulder Pain

Area of Science:

• Orthopedics
• Traumatology
• Geriatric Medicine

Background:

• Inferior shoulder dislocation (luxatio erecta) is a rare injury, accounting for less than 1% of all shoulder dislocations.
• Concomitant humeral neck fractures with inferior shoulder dislocations are exceptionally uncommon.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a case of an elderly patient with a rare combination of inferior shoulder dislocation and humeral neck fracture.
• To describe a unique management strategy involving staged reduction and eventual surgical repair.

Main Methods:

• A bedside reduction was performed, intentionally dislocating the humeral head from the humeral shaft due to patient's age and osteoporosis.
• The patient underwent open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) for the humeral neck fracture and shoulder stabilization.

Main Results:

• The initial staged reduction was successful in managing the acute injury.
• The patient's shoulder was successfully repaired via open reduction within two weeks of the initial injury.

Conclusions:

• This case highlights a successful management approach for a rare shoulder injury in an elderly patient with significant comorbidities.
• A staged reduction technique can be a viable option for managing inferior shoulder dislocations with associated fractures in high-risk patients.