To evaluate the long-term results and to identify predictive factors of functional outcomes of floating shoulders treated either conservatively or surgically

Abstract

Introduction: The ‘floating shoulder’ is a rare injury [1] consisting of ipsilateral fractures of the clavicle and glenoid neck. It was first described by Ganz and Noesberger in 1975. Subsequently, Goss expanded on their definition by describing it as a ‘double disruption’ of the superior shoulder suspensory complex Aim of the study: The aim of this study is to evaluate the mid-term results and functional outcomes of floating shoulders treated either conservatively or surgically.Discussion: Floating shoulder is rare injury and is usually seen in high velocity injuries. It is accepted in published literature that floating shoulder can be treated either conservatively or operatively. The purpose of our study was to evaluate the mid-term results and functional outcomes of floating shoulders treated with either modality of management before.Conclusion: This preliminary study adds to the growing body of literature indicating that the functional outcome of floating shoulder is good when surgical treatment is undertaken, which could be in the form of clavicle fixation, glenoid neck fixation, or both fixation.