This is a very ancient method - as the name suggests - and it has relatively recently been revived as perhaps the safest method of shoulder reduction.
The patient is placed supine and the patient's hand and forearm are grasped, with an assistant providing a counteractive force at the axilla with a sling. The arm is pulled along its axis in about 30 degrees of abduction. The traction pulls the humeral head from its dislocated position into apposition with the rest of the joint - into which it is relaxed as gently as possible.
Treatment can be complicated by axillary nerve damage, which ought to be looked for prior to manipulation.
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