Aditya (name changed), a young man with aspirations of becoming a field athlete, witnessed his life transform into a literal nightmare. It all started with a car accident in which he injured himself while attempting to protect his sister. The crash left him with numerous injuries, including a fractured left shoulder. The doctor cast his shoulder and sent him home with instructions to rest for two months.
After removing the cast Aditya’s left shoulder felt very weak and painful. He chalked it up to muscle atrophy which his doctor had warned him about. However, the shoulder pain did not go away after a few days, and Aditya was having a difficult time performing the mobility exercises prescribed by the doctor. Aditya's father took him to Dr. Banarji B.H. at Dr. Banarji Shoulder Center in Bengaluru, concerned that the fractured shoulder had not healed properly.
Dr. Banarji proceeded to thoroughly examine Aditya's shoulder and discovered that he had a proximal humerus nonunion. "A nonunion fracture occurs when the fractured bone fails to heal properly or heals too slowly," Dr. Banarji explains. Nonunion can occur for a variety of reasons, including advanced age, low vitamin D levels, poor blood supply to the injured bones, hypothyroidism, and so on. Nonunion is more common in the elderly due to poor health, osteoporosis, and other age-related health issues. Dr. Banarji speculates that because Aditya is very young and in relatively good health, improper binding of the shoulder while setting the bone could have affected the blood supply to the region, resulting in the nonunion.
Various treatment methods are used depending on the position and extent of nonunion. The most common method is osteotomy surgery. During this procedure, the affected bone is cut or rebroken and properly positioned using plates, rods, screws, and so on. Internal and external fixation refers to how these are attached to the bone.
"In Aditya's case, an internal fixation osteotomy was performed to correct the nonunion of his left shoulder fracture. We used a plate and screw to properly fix the shoulder joint and put the shoulder in a sling to avoid any movements," Dr. Banarji explains. The recovery time for such a procedure is longer than the time it takes for a shoulder fracture to heal the first time.
Aditya was determined to regain full use of his shoulder and thus meticulously followed every instruction given by Dr. Banarji. He was careful not to move his shoulder in any way and avoided putting any strain on the affected shoulder. Dr. Banarji began the rehabilitation program three months later, which included exercises to rebuild and strengthen the shoulder muscles. As Aditya's shoulder strength improved, the intensity of the exercises gradually increased, and special care was taken to restore complete mobility and stability of the shoulder joint. "Thanks to Dr. Banarji, my living nightmare is finally over. I intend to return to active sports as soon as I get permission from him," says Aditya confidently.
According to Dr. Banarji, Aditya's nonunion of the shoulder fracture is a very rare occurrence. Shoulder fractures usually heal well and do not require surgery after they heal.
CONTACT US
Dr. Banarji Shoulder Center
3/4, 8th Main (Water Tank Road), CHBS Layout, Vijayanagar, Bangalore - 560 040.
Emergency: 9731274396
Appointment Mob:7760659606, +91 78297 23606
Email:drbanarji@orthobangalore.com
