Rare Shoulder Injuries and Rugby Tackles

The senior medical team at totalhealth field hundreds of GP and patient queries every week. Every request is given special attention, but as we are in the middle of the ‘rugger’ season, we thought that shoulder injuries might be of special interest.



A concerned mother asked: “My 16 year son has a posterior sternoclavicular dislocation. This happened at school this year during a game of rugby. My local hospital is selecting conservative treatment. Having done a lot of research I have discovered that in all these rare cases a reduction is always used as a form of treatment. Can you please advise as to what you would consider necessary treatment to safe guard my son from any further long term difficulties?”



Shoulder expert Richard Sinnerton replied: “This is a very rare condition. I have only seen it myself once in 10 years and, although the books make it out to be highly problematic and fraught with danger, it really is not such a big deal. So as long as it stabilises there shouldn't be any problems. Surgery is always avoided because of the high risk of complications. Shoulders in these cases mostly relocate very easily with a gentle manipulation.



If your son’s shoulder has been left dislocated then it is probably best to leave it where it is as the benefits of putting it back in place are probably outweighed by the risks of the surgery.”
A condition that is linked to, or is a consequence of, another disease or procedure. Full medical glossary