Commentary on an article by Sigurd Liavaag, MD, et al.: “Immobilization in External Rotation After Primary Shoulder Dislocation Did Not Reduce the Risk of Recurrence. A Randomized Controlled Trial”

Abstract

Sigurd Liavaag and coauthors are to be commended for their manuscript, “Immobilization in External Rotation After Primary Shoulder Dislocation Did Not Reduce the Risk of Recurrence. A Randomized Controlled Trial.” This multicenter trial in Norway demonstrated no apparent clinical benefit of three weeks of immobilization in external rotation following primary anterior shoulder dislocation in 188 subjects. The authors of this clinical trial focused on a clinically relevant age group (range, sixteen to forty years), executed an effective stratified block randomization, monitored treatment compliance, and reported excellent follow-up (98% at two years). The findings of Liavaag et al. mirror those of Finestone et al.1, who also reported no apparent benefit of immobilization in external rotation. The patients in the study by Finestone et al. were all male, were younger (mean …