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Medical Author:

William Freudenthal, MD

Coauthor:

James V Ritchie, MD

Medical Editor:

Marian Gambrell, MD

Medical Editor:

Francisco Talavera, PharmD, PhD

Medical Editor:

Jerry R. Balentine, DO, FACEP

Jerry R. Balentine, DO, FACEP

Dr. Balentine received his undergraduate degree from McDaniel College in Westminster, Maryland. He attended medical school at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine graduating in1983. He completed his internship at St. Joseph's Hospital in Philadelphia and his Emergency Medicine residency at Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center in the Bronx, where he served as chief resident.

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Exams and Tests

A doctor will be able to diagnose a broken shoulder blade after a thorough physical examination and imaging.

• Shoulder and chest x-rays are taken.
  
  
• CT scans of the abdomen and chest are sometimes indicated to evaluate other injuries.
  
  
• CT scans of the shoulder are sometimes needed to diagnose fractures of the shoulder socket (glenoid).
  
  
• Fractures of the scapula are sometimes discovered during extensive evaluations after major trauma from falls, motor vehicle accidents, or direct trauma.