Broken shoulder: fixing it with a plate

Types

• Two pieces: break below the ball (most common)
• Three pieces
• Four pieces

What is broken

The upper end of the arm bone, just below the ball of the shoulder joint, has broken, usually from a fall onto the arm or the shoulder. The pieces have moved apart.

Why an operation

When the pieces are clearly displaced, they can heal in a poor position and the shoulder may stay weak and stiff. In your case a plate brings the ball back onto the shaft so that the shoulder can be moved early. A sling without surgery is also an option for some people.

How the operation is done

Through a cut at the front or the side of the shoulder, the surgeon puts the pieces back in place and fixes them with a metal plate and screws, checked with X-ray. Sometimes stitches hold the small bony pieces where the shoulder tendons attach. It usually takes one to two hours.

Anaesthesia and the hospital stay

You will be asleep, often with an injection that numbs the arm for the first hours. Most people stay two to four days.

Possible risks

• A screw works into the joint or the ball sinks, needing a second operation — about 10 in 100
• The ball of the joint loses its blood supply and collapses — about 5 to 10 in 100
• Stiffness of the shoulder — common; physiotherapy helps
• Injury to the nerve of the shoulder muscle — about 1 in 100
• Wound infection — about 1 to 2 in 100

After the operation

The arm rests in a sling for comfort, but gentle movements guided by the physiotherapist start early. Lifting and carrying must wait until the bone has healed, after about six weeks. Full strength often takes several months.

Questions people often ask