Atypical presentation of inferior shoulder dislocation

Inferior type of shoulder dislocation or luxatio erecta is highly uncommon and accounts for less than 1% of all shoulder dislocations. The patient generally presents with the shoulder in hyperabduction, classically called as the salute position. Here, we present a rare case of a 3 days old inferiorly dislocated right shoulder joint that presented without the arm in hyperabduction and clinically mimicking anterior shoulder dislocation. Further clinical and radiographic evaluation revealed it to be a subglenoid inferior shoulder dislocation. Reduction of the joint was achieved by simultaneously applying longitudinal traction along the arm and lateral traction along the proximal humerus. Absence of the classic hyperabducted position in this case not only posed a diagnostic challenge, but also a therapeutic challenge since it warranted an unconventional manoeuvre to reduce this dislocated joint.