A Rare Long‑term Complication of Physical Torture

Abstract

The allegations made against custodians regarding ill treatments have been increased in Sri Lanka. However, their attention is grabbed by the immediate complications of torture, but not by late or delayed complications. A 35‑year‑old male was arrested for alleged housebreaking and kept under police custody. He alleged that he was hanged with his hands on several occasions. Six weeks after the incident, he presented to a tertiary care hospital with the weakness of his right shoulder. Examination revealed hyperpigmented scars over the left wrist and back of the left forearm with the right‑sided medial winging of the scapula. He alleged that it had affected his day‑to‑day life. The presence of hyperpigmented scars over the left wrist and the long‑term complications such as winged scapula of the right shoulder corroborated with the alleged history of torture by suspension from the wrists.