Instinctively in a fall, we reach out to brace our body’s impact with our arm(s) and hand(s). Among the upper extremity consequences of this instinctive reaction are injuries to the shoulder(s), which can be serious and painful.
Depending on the angle and direction of impact, forces driven up the arm may cause the head of the humerus, the bone in our upper arm, to misalign from its normal position at the glenoid fossa, a shallow “cup-like” socket which is part of the scapula.
This painful misalignment is commonly posterior, or backwards, occurring in falls forward such as tripping or stumbling, but can be anterior / superior, as when one’s foot slips forward and the body falls backward, with arm(s) instinctively extended backward to break the fall.
Carelul assessment of the shoulder after a fall and gentle, precise corrections of misalignments are essential to relieve pain, support healing, maintain normal range of motion, and prevent future degenerative changes that lead to arthritis.
