Asymptomatic chronic anterior posttraumatic dislocation in a young male patient.

We report an unusual case of chronic anterior glenohumeral dislocation in a young active patient. The diagnosis was not made until 4 years after the initial injury occurred. X-ray evaluation and magnetic resonance imaging showed an anterior dislocated humeral head that was locked anteroinferior of the glenoid as a result of a large Hill-Sachs lesion. Passive and active range of motion was surprisingly normal, and the patient had no pain and no limitation in his activities of daily living. A chronic dislocation of the glenohumeral articulation has been defined as a joint that has been dislocated for at least several days. It is generally accepted that the longer the dislocation persists, the more the difficulties and complications of reduction increase. In most of the patients the persistence of an unreduced chronic dislocation is a very difficult problem. This condition is mostly seen in elderly patients and in those with limited general mental status. We report a case of a young male patient with only minor clinical symptoms.