Appendicular joint dislocations.

This study defines the incidence and epidemiology of joint dislocations and subluxations of the appendicular skeleton. All patients presenting acutely to hospital with a dislocation or subluxation of the appendicular skeleton from a defined population were included in the study. There were 974 dislocations or subluxations over one year between the 1st November 2008 and the 31st October 2009. There was an overall joint dislocation incidence of 157/10(5)/year (188/10(5)/year in males and 128/10(5)/year in females). Males demonstrated a bimodal distribution with a peak incidence of 446/10(5)/year at 15-24 years old and another of 349/10(5)/year in those over 90 years. Females demonstrate an increasing incidence from the seventh decade with a maximum incidence of 520/10(5)/year in those over 90 years. The most commonly affected joints are the glenohumeral (51.2/10(5)/year), the small joints of the hand (29.9/10(5)/year), the patellofemoral joint (21.6/10(5)/year), the prosthetic hip (19.0/10(5)/year), the ankle (11.5/10(5)/year), the acromioclavicular joint (8.9/10(5)/year) and the elbow (5.5/10(5)/year). Unlike fractures, dislocations are more common in the both the most affluent and the most socially deprived sections of the population. Joint disruptions are more common than previously estimated.