The prevalence of rotator cuff tear, greater tuberosity fracture, or neurological deficit following primary anterior glenohumeral dislocation is greater than previously appreciated. These associated injuries may occur alone or in combined patterns. Dislocations associated with axillary nerve palsy have similar demographic features to isolated dislocations. Injuries associated with a rotator cuff tear, greater tuberosity fracture, or complex neurological deficit are more common in patients sixty years of age or older. Careful evaluation of rotator cuff function is required for any patient with a dislocation associated with a neurological deficit, and vice versa.

Displaced fractures of the lateral end of the clavicle in young patients have a high incidence of nonunion and a poor functional outcome after conservative management. Operative treatment is therefore usually recommended. However, current techniques may be associated with complications which require removal of the fixation device. We have evaluated the functional and radiological outcomes using a novel technique of open reduction and internal fixation. A series of 16 patients under 60 years of age with displaced fractures of the lateral end were treated by open reduction and fixation using a twin coracoclavicular endobutton technique. They were followed up for the first year after their injury. At one year the mean Constant score was 87.1 and the median Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand score was 3.3. All fractures had united, except in one patient who developed an asymptomatic fibrous union. One patient had post-traumatic stiffness of the shoulder, which resolved with physiotherapy. None required re-operation. This technique produces good functional and radiological outcomes with a low prevalence of complications and routine implant removal is not necessary.

We treated 47 patients with a mean age of 57 years (22 to 88) who had a proximal humeral fracture in which there was a severe varus deformity, using a standard operative protocol of anatomical reduction, fixation with a locking plate and supplementation by structural allografts in unstable fractures. The functional and radiological outcomes were reviewed. At two years after operation the median Constant score was 86 points and the median Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand score 17 points. Seven of the patients underwent further surgery, two for failure of fixation, three for dysfunction of the rotator cuff, and two for shoulder stiffness. The two cases of failure of fixation were attributable to violation of the operative protocol. In the 46 patients who retained their humeral head, all the fractures healed within the first year, with no sign of collapse or narrowing of the joint space. Longer follow-up will be required to confirm whether these initially satisfactory results are maintained.

Background:Extra-articular fractures of lower end radius are conventionally immobilized in palmar flexion and ulnar deviation. In view of poor functional results, the conventional method of immobilization is giving way to dorsiflexed-immobilized method. The aim of our study is to evaluate and compare the radiological and functional outcome in extra-articular fractures of lower end radius treated conservatively with respect to its position of immobilization.Materials and Methods:Sixty-four patients, all above 20 years of age with closed extra-articular fractures of lower end radius who were treated conservatively by close reduction and below elbow cast application constitute the clinical material. Irrespective of fracture geometry the patients were randomly allocated to dorsal or palmar flexed immobilized position of wrist. Patients were followed up for a minimum six-month period. The radial tilt, palmar tilt and ulnar variance are measured at prereduction, postreduction and at 6 month followup. The results were scored by Demerit Scoring System of Saito.Results:All fractures united. Individual movement of dorsiflexion, palmar flexion, supination, pronation and radial-ulnar deviation were all significantly better in the dorsiflexed-immobilized group as compared with the palmar flexed immobilized group. Grip strength recovery with subjective assessment was better in the dorsiflexed group (77%) as compared to the palmar flexed group (23%). Radiological parameters were markedly better in the dorsiflexed group. Ninety-one per cent of patients in the dorsiflexed group had excellent to good results as compared to 66% in the palmar flexed group.Conclusion:Functional results of extra-articular fractures of lower end radius are superior if the fractures after reduction are immobilized in dorsiflexion of wrist rather than in conventional palmar flexion position.

BackgroundUltrasound is increasingly used to evaluate shoulder pain, but the benefits of this are unclear. In this study, we examined whether ultrasound-defined pathologies have implications for clinical outcomes.MethodsWe extracted reported pathologies from 3000 ultrasound scans of people with shoulder pain referred from primary care. In latent class analysis (LCA), we identified whether individual pathologies clustered in groups. Optimal group number was determined by the minimum Bayesian information criterion. A questionnaire was sent to all patients scanned over a 12-month period (n = 2322). Data collected included demographics, treatments received, current pain and function. The relationship between pathology-defined groups and clinical outcomes was examined.ResultsLCA revealed four groups: (1) bursitis with limited inflammation elsewhere (n = 1280), (2) bursitis with extensive inflammation (n = 595), (3) rotator cuff tears (n = 558) and (4) limited pathology (n = 567). A total of 777 subjects (33%) completed questionnaires. The median (IQR) duration post-ultrasound scan was 25 (22–29) months. Subsequent injections were most common in groups 1 and 2 (groups 1–4 76%, 67%, 48% and 61%, respectively); surgery was most common in group 3 (groups 1–4 23%, 21%, 28% and 16%, respectively). Shoulder Pain and Disability Index scores were highest in group 3 (median 48 and 30, respectively) and lowest in group 4 (median 32 and 9, respectively). Patients in group 4 who had surgery reported poor outcomes.ConclusionsIn a community-based population, we identified clusters of pathologies on the basis of ultrasound. Our retrospective data suggest that these groups have different treatment pathways and outcomes. This requires replication in a prospective study to determine the value of a pathology-based classification in people with shoulder pain.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13075-017-1235-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.