ORTHOPEDICS/SHOULDER & ELBOW/SHOULDER DISORDERS
Anterior shoulder disarticulation
Generally, a shoulder disarticulation is a damage that happens when the ball is pulled out of the ball-and-socket shoulder joint.
Shoulder disarticulations classically happen from either shocking damages (falls, motor vehicle collisions, etc.) or from athletic damages.
Most of the shoulder disarticulations happen when the ball comes out of the front of the shoulder, known by anterior shoulder disarticulation.
Note that almost 95% of shoulder disarticulations are anterior disarticulations.
Posterior shoulder disarticulation
However, the shoulder may also disarticulate from the back of the shoulder, although this damage is extremely rare and is called posterior disarticulation.
When the ball is pulled out of the shoulder socket back, the damage is called a posterior shoulder disarticulation.
Posterior disarticulations are significant to be known since the therapy is accordingly a little different.
One of these damages is typically when the side holds the upper arm with the forearm held against the body.
Posterior shoulder disarticulation/Reasons
Different from the anterior disarticulations that happen following with major damages, the two frequent reasons of a posterior disarticulation are seizures and electric shocks.
Characteristically, following a shocking damage (such as a sudden brutal fall) a shoulder disarticulation may eventually occur.
Posterior shoulder disarticulation/Therapy
A posterior shoulder disarticulation therapy consists repositioning the ball into the ball-and-socket shoulder joint.
Repositioning the joint, also called ‘reducing’ the +-joint, is classically easy to perform. (Much more easily accepted with anesthesia to avoid pain and uneasiness).
Surgical therapy of a shoulder disarticulation may be considered as well, specifically when bone damage complements the disarticulation.
Posterior shoulder disarticulation/Diagnosis
As mentioned before, posterior shoulder disarticulations are rare.
The diagnosis seems depending on the bone and cartilage damages that happens at the disarticulation moment.
Note that fear from an eventuality of a recurrent (repeated) disarticulation is commonly felt because of the extensive bone deterioration that usually causes shoulder unsteadiness.