Return to Sports After Shoulder Stabilization Surgery for Anterior Shoulder Instability

• Published in: Current reviews in musculoskeletal medicine Vol. 10; no. 4; pp. 491 - 498
• Main Authors: Elsenbeck, Michael J., Dickens, Jonathan F.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01-12-2017
• Subjects: Management of Anterior Shoulder Instability (X Li; Management of Anterior Shoulder Instability (X Li, section editor); Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Minimally Invasive Surgery; Orthopedics; Rehabilitation Medicine; section editor; Sports Medicine; Surgery; Surgical Orthopedics; Topical Collection on Management of Anterior Shoulder Instability; Athletes; Bankart repair; Return to sport
• ISSN: 1935-973X; 1935-9748
• DOI: 10.1007/s12178-017-9440-5

Purpose of Review
Young athletes continue to experience traumatic shoulder instability and are often plagued by recurrent instability, limiting their return to sport. The purpose of this paper was to review return to sport in athletes after shoulder stabilization surgery for anterior shoulder instability.
Recent Findings
Athletes managed nonoperatively demonstrate unacceptably high rates of recurrent instability and are less likely to successfully return to sport. Operative management includes capsuloligamentous repair (arthroscopic versus open) and bone augmentation techniques. While modern arthroscopic techniques have provided favorable outcomes, open techniques have demonstrated lower recurrence rates among young collision athletes. A subset of athletes continue to experience recurrent instability, leading to further investigation of concomitant pathologies, which may put patients at risk of failure following Bankart repair. Bony augmentation procedures remain favorable for patients with glenoid bone loss; however, what constitutes critical bone loss in the decision between anterior labral repair versus bone augmentation has recently been questioned.
Summary
Operative management of anterior shoulder instability provides superior results, including lower recurrent instability and return to sport. Future research on patient-specific risk factors may aid surgical decision-making and optimization of outcomes.