Reduction of skiing-related anterior shoulder dislocation using Kocher's method without traction.

We evaluated the use of Kocher's original method (without humeral traction) for reduction of acute anterior glenohumeral dislocation in 28 alpine skiers and snowboarders at a single ski area during the 1995-1996 ski season. In all cases, reduction was begun within 1 hour of the acute injury. The Kocher method alone was successful in 23 (82%) patients. Of the patients having a successful reduction by means of the original Kocher technique, the mean reduction time was less than 5 minutes, and 9 (39%) of the reductions were achieved in less than 1 minute. Only 1 patient experienced discomfort significant enough to require analgesia, and no patients required sedation. The complication rate was minimal, with 1 patient developing hyperesthesia in the axillary nerve distribution; no fractures of the humerus or glenoid resulted from the reduction technique.