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Download the article PDF: Clinical Image Challenges July August 2026 1
A 28-year-old male with history of left shoulder dislocations presents to urgent care with severe left shoulder pain. He reports an inability to move the arm after injuring his shoulder while taking off his shirt. He reports feeling the shoulder “shift out of place” during the movement.
On examination, the patient is in significant discomfort. He is holding the left arm in slight abduction with left shoulder external rotation. His elbow is flexed and his forearm is pronated. There is no obvious left upper extremity deformity. The left upper extremity is neurovascularly intact distally. Left shoulder range of motion is severely limited due to pain. Inspection and bony palpation are limited by large muscle bulk. Plain radiography is unavailable.
A point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) of the left shoulder is performed using a posterior approach.
View the POCUS imageand consider the likely diagnosis and next steps. The resolution of the case is described on the following page.