Clinical Practice and Cases in Emergency Medicine

Case Presentation: We describe a middle-aged male presenting to the emergency department with bilateral shoulder pain, holding both arms in abduction after trauma. Radiographs demonstrated a bilateral inferior dislocation of the glenohumeral joints consistent with luxatio erecta humeri.

Discussion: We review the clinical presentation of luxatio erecta and its complications. We also describe the characteristic presentation on radiographs. Our case illustrates the hallmark findings of luxatio erecta of an abducted humeral shaft parallel to the scapular spine.