Drooping Shoulder Sign

Shoulder

Inferior subluxation of the shoulder

Two views of the right shoulder in this post-traumatic patient with a fracture of the proximal humerus. Note the downward displacement of the humerus and it’s relation to the acromio-clavicular joint and the glenoid. The drooping shoulder occurs following fracture of the surgical neck and may be secondary to hemarthrosis or musculoligamentous injury. Other non-traumatic causes such as stroke and brachial plexus compromise from a tumor have been described as well.

Lev-Toaff AS, Karasick D, Rao VM: “Drooping shoulder”–nontraumatic causes of glenohumeral subluxation. Skeletal Radiol 1984;12(1):34-6.

Laskin RS, Schreiber S: Inferior subluxation of the humeral head: the drooping shoulder Radiology 1971, 98:585-586.