What is Shoulder Trauma?

The shoulder is an arrangement of bone and soft tissue that allows the greatest range of motion, however, it makes it prone to dislocation. It is recommended that three or more views are made, two of which should be done at right angles to the bodily plains. Therefore, shoulder pain could be caused by a range of injuries, because of its instability and the number of tendons attached to it.

Your shoulders are the joints where your humerus, shoulder blades, and collarbone meet. The head of humerus is always 30% attached to the cavity, which means that it is flexible, but prone to injury

There are four main imaging modalities, as suggested by iRefer:

· X-ray -for some dislocations with subtle findings.

· Ultrasound – for assessing the rotator cuff.

· MRI – an alternative to the Ultrasounds.

· CT – for evaluation of complex bony injuries

Pain in your shoulder can have many causes. These injuries vary with age and the severity of the trauma .  You might injure it in a fall or accident, or you could have overdone a chore like painting. However, sometimes shoulder pain comes from a condition like arthritis.

References:

• Carson, W.G. & Reynolds, S.B. (2009) Normal Arthroscopic Anatomy of the Shoulder. In: [Online]. pp. 91–98. Available from: doi:10.1016/b978-044306701-3.50009-8. [Accessed 14 October 2020].

• Goldman, M., Troisi, R. and Rexrode, K., 2000. Women And Health. London: Academic Press, pp.674-686.

• Gyftopoulos, S., Albert, M. and P. Recht, M., 2020. Osseous Injuries Associated With Anterior Shoulder Instability: What The Radiologist Should Know : American Journal Of Roentgenology: Vol. 202, No. 6 (AJR). [Online] Ajronline.org. Available at: https://www.ajronline.org/doi/full/10.2214/AJR.13.11824 [Accessed 13 October 2020].

• Hosseinzadeh, S., DeAngelis, J., Komarraju, A., Wu, A. and Wu, J., 2020. Imaging Of Acute Shoulder Trauma. [online] ScienceDirect. Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0037198X20300596 [Accessed 13 October 2020].

• iRefer Guidelines https://www.irefer.org.uk/guidelines [Accessed 13 October 2020]

• Morey, V., Chua, K., Ng, Z., Tan, H. and Kumar, V., 2020. Management Of The Floating Shoulder: Does The Glenopolar Angle Influence Outcomes? A Systematic Review. [online] ScienceDirect. Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877056817303511 [Accessed 13 October 2020].

• Gyftopoulos, S., Albert, M. and P. Recht, M., 2020. Osseous Injuries Associated With Anterior Shoulder Instability: What The Radiologist Should Know: American Journal Of Roentgenology: Vol. 202, No. 6 (AJR). [Online] Ajronline.org. Available at: condition like arthritis.