Publication:

A simple innovative Chennai handshake technique for reducing anterior dislocation of shoulder joint: a community study of 60 cases

Background Anterior shoulder dislocation is one of the commonest dislocation of our body. We here by introduce a simple, safe, successful and easily reproducible “Chennai Handshake Technique” to relocate anterior dislocation of shoulder joint.

Methods This method was performed by a single surgeon on sixty cases (51 males, 9 females) of anterior shoulder dislocation with a mean age of 38 years (18 to 58 years) between 2008 to 2013 in tertiary care center. Among sixty patients, there were 12 cases (20%) of fresh dislocation and 48 cases (80%) of recurrent dislocation. It comprises of holding the hand in a classical double shake position and then giving a gentle longitudinal traction (stage I) followed with slow abduction and external rotation of arm (stage II), thus reducing the shoulder dislocation. Vertical oscillation may be a part of stage II in some cases before the external rotation.

Results The index time of patient presenting to the casualty ranged from one hour to 18hrs with a mean of 4.45 hrs. The reduction time ranged  from 1 to 16 min with a mean of  5.6 min. 17 dislocations (28.3%) were reduced  during stage I. 41 dislocations (68.3%) were reduced during stage II. 5 dislocations (12.1%) needed vertical oscillation during stage II. we failed in two cases (3.3%).

Conclusions No need of assistant, no need of anesthesia, no complications makes this technique, a more look back one.