A study of a method of taking X-rays of the shoulder joint axis when the upper arm is fixed and cannot be rotated. When the shoulder joint has suffered damage, rotating the arm can be very painful, and obtaining accurate images of the axis is frequently difficult. For this reason, at this hospital, the Stockinette-Velpeau procedure is used on patients who cannot rotate their arms to have X-rays taken. In this procedure, the patient bends backwards at a 40-degree angle, and an X-ray of the shoulder joint axis is taken from directly below the joint. Using this method, even if the upper arm is hanging down, information regarding the direction of the axis can be obtained. However, maintaining this body position is difficult and requires assistance. The patient may also experience pain. For this reason, a new method was sought of X-raying the axis from a body position that is easier on the patient and by which diagnostic information on the axis direction can be obtained from patients who cannot rotate their upper arms. The result of seeking a new method was an X-ray that can be taken diagonally at a 25-degree angle relative to the shoulder joint socket. This X-ray method requires no rotation of the axis and provides the closest view of the axis. This new method suggests a way to X-ray the axis that is easy on patients even when the shoulder joint is damaged.
