Rotator cuff tear associated with a posterior dislocation of the shoulder in a young adult: a case report and literature review

Abstract

Posterior glenohumeral dislocations are rare, and an accurate diagnosis is often difficult to make. Although rotator cuff tears are a known risk in the common traumatic anterior glenohumeral dislocation, they are an extremely rare event in association with posterior glenohumeral dislocation, regardless of patient age. There have only been 2 documented cases of rotator cuff tear following posterior shoulder dislocation previously reported in the literature. We report the case of a rotator cuff tear associated with a closed traumatic posterior dislocation of the shoulder in a 22-year-old male involved in a motorcycle accident. This is only the second report of an isolated rotator cuff tear occurring as a result of a posterior shoulder dislocation. Furthermore, this case concerns the youngest patient ever to sustain such an injury in the orthopaedic literature.