Closed reduction of a posterior sternoclavicular joint dislocation: A case report

Sternoclavicular joint dislocation (SCJD) is a rare injury; there are only two reported cases of SCJD that have occurred during judo practice. We present a case of an 18-year-old male athlete who fell while practicing judo and experienced upper left chest pain. He was diagnosed with posterior SCJD at another institute before being transferred to our hospital. Closed reduction was initially not possible using traditional methods. Reduction was eventually accomplished by clamping the proximal end of the clavicle using bone forceps and rotating it while pulling it upward. Many authors have reported that closed reduction is difficult if not performed within 48 h after SCJD injury. However, we were able to achieve closed reduction approximately 72 h after injury. We found that reduction might be easily accomplished by pulling the proximal end of the clavicle up and rotating it when other closed reduction methods are unsuccessful.