Medical Disclaimer
The information on this page is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health professional with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
🚨Emergency? If you have severe symptoms, difficulty breathing, or think it's an emergency, call 000 immediately.
Shoulder Fractures (Proximal Humerus Fractures)
Proximal humerus fractures are breaks in the upper arm bone near the shoulder joint, most commonly occurring in elderly people after falls due to osteoporosis - they cause severe shoulder pain, swelling, bruising, and inability to move the arm, with treatment ranging from sling immobilization for simple fractures (80-85% of cases healing well conservatively in 6-12 weeks) to surgical fixation with plates or shoulder replacement for displaced or unstable fractures.
📖What is Shoulder Fractures (Proximal Humerus Fractures)?
Proximal humerus fractures are breaks in the upper arm bone near the shoulder joint, most commonly occurring in elderly people after falls due to osteoporosis - they cause severe shoulder pain, swelling, bruising, and inability to move the arm, with treatment ranging from sling immobilization for simple fractures (80-85% of cases healing well conservatively in 6-12 weeks) to surgical fixation with plates or shoulder replacement for displaced or unstable fractures.
🔬What Causes It?
- Falls from standing height in elderly (most common cause 70-80% of cases—osteoporotic bone breaks easily with low-energy fall)
- Direct blow to shoulder (sports collision, motor vehicle accident—younger patients typically need higher-energy trauma)
- Fall onto outstretched hand (FOOSH injury—force transmitted up arm breaking shoulder)
- Seizure or electric shock (violent muscle contractions fracture weakened bone)
⚠️Risk Factors
You may be at higher risk if:
- Osteoporosis (weak bones break easily from minor falls—70-80% proximal humerus fractures occur in women over 65 with osteoporosis)
- Age over 65 years (fracture incidence increases dramatically with age—5x higher in 80-year-olds vs 60-year-olds)
- Female gender (women 3-4x higher risk than men due to postmenopausal osteoporosis)
- Previous fragility fractures (wrist, hip, spine fracture indicates systemic bone weakness)
- Medications weakening bones (long-term steroids, certain cancer treatments)
- Poor balance and falls risk (vision problems, neurologic conditions, home hazards)
🛡️Prevention
- ✓Osteoporosis screening and treatment (women over 65, men over 70—DEXA scan, calcium/vitamin D supplementation, bisphosphonates reduce fracture risk 40-60%)
- ✓Falls prevention (home safety assessment removing trip hazards, vision checks, balance exercises, walking aids if unsteady)
- ✓Bone-strengthening exercises (weight-bearing exercise, resistance training 2-3x weekly slows bone loss)
- ✓Medication review (stop or reduce sedatives, sleeping pills causing dizziness and falls)