Simultaneous bilateral anterior glenohumeral dislocation: Rare entity with unique mechanism: A case report with review of literature

Background: Although anterior glenohumeral dislocation are common in EMD but simultaneous dislocation is rare phenomenon to occur. Objective: This article intends to report a case of simultaneous non-sequential anterior glenohumeral dislocation along with reviewing the literature on this rare entity. Case report: we present the case of 44 years old adult male who presented to the orthopedic emergency of our institute after road traffic accident with sudden onset of pain and restriction of movement in both shoulders following trauma. Immediately post trauma he had severe pain and restriction of both shoulders. On examination arms were abducted and externally rotated. Bilateral shoulder movements were painful and restricted. There was loss of round contour of shoulder with increased vertical diameter of axilla anteriorly. Radiological examination revealed anterior fracture dislocation of the shoulder on left side with simple anterior dislocation on right side. Conclusion: Bilateral shoulder dislocations are rare and almost always occur in the posterior direction. Simultaneous bilateral anterior shoulder dislocation is even rarer and only a few cases are stated in the literature. The most interesting part of a bilateral shoulder dislocation is about its injury mechanism as a synchronous and simultaneous force is needed to result in it. All orthopedic surgeons and emergency physicians should be aware of such unusual possibilities to have an early diagnosis and treatment. An early reduction and appropriate rehabilitation can provide satisfactory functional outcome.