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Shoulder Labral Tear Surgery Pros and Cons

A tear in the labrum used to be ignored, considered just part of the spectrum of shoulder-joint arthritis, but then orthopedic surgeons figured out they could sew it together and an industry was born. This isn’t to say that one doesn’t need to worry about healing a labral tear, but for most patients, surgically sewing it back together is likely not the right choice.

In our modern orthopedic surgery system, dictated by insurance contracts and managed care, most patients spend more time with an assistant than the surgeon. If they do see the surgeon, they’re one of 30 to 40 patients seen that day, each of which garner 5 to 10 minutes of attention. In this world of factory-type, high-volume…

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  Labrum, It Nearly Killed Him

The leading minds in baseball medicine are flummoxed by the labrum. Doctors can’t agree on how to detect a tear, don’t know the best way to fix one, and aren’t sure why, almost without fail, a torn labrum will destroy a pitcher’s career.

Articles of Interest

High Prevalence of Superior Labral Tears Diagnosed by MRI in Middle-Aged Patients With Asymptomatic Shoulders

Prior MRI studies of the asymptomatic shoulder have focused on rotator cuff pathology or pathology in a narrow and specific group of athletes. Labral abnormalities have not previously been thoroughly evaluated in asymptomatic middle-aged individuals.

How to Survive Baseball’s ‘Most Fearsome Injury’

“The labrum is a pretty simple stabilizer to the shoulder joint,” explained John D. Kelly IV, MD, a professor, surgeon, and the director of Sports Shoulder at Penn Medicine. “It creates a suction seal. It’s like an O-ring on a valve.” Slate proclaimed the labrum tear as baseball’s “most fearsome injury,” and rightfully so. About half of major leaguers don’t return to form. Prior never did. I didn’t.

Overcoming a Torn Labrum of the Shoulder

The two most common types of labral tears are: Bankart Tear. The Bankart tear occurs near the front and bottom portion of your labrum, and frequently occurs when your shoulder dislocates. SLAP Tear. SLAP is an acronym for Superior Labrum, Anterior to Posterior. This is a tear in the upper portion of your labrum where your long biceps tendon attaches. The labrum can be injured in a number of different ways. Sometimes trauma or an accident can cause a labral tear. Other times, repetitive stress and strain can result in a torn labrum. These include, but are not limited to sports injuries, weightlifting with poor technique, repetitive throwing, falling, auto accidents, or a forceful blow to your shoulder.

Shoulder injury blog: Labral tear

This blog specifically focuses on an injury that relates closely to the ball and socket part of the shoulder joint. If you are into throwing sports, you may be familiar with it… It’s called the labral tear.

Shoulder Joint Labral Tear

It should be noted that not all tears in the shoulder can be made better with surgery.

Shoulder Labral Tears: Everything you Need to Know About Shoulder Pain, Injections, Surgery, and Functional Training Solutions.

If you’re experiencing shoulder pain, you may be wondering if you have a torn shoulder labrum. Read on for the science behind labral tear detection and diagnosis, and why functional training should be your first choice for managing pain and building the strength you need to maintain shoulder stability.

The worst advice I've ever heard about shoulder labral tears

Shoulder injuries, and in particular shoulder labrum (or SLAP) tears are some of our favourite things to treat in the clinic. One main reason for this is because often an injured athlete will come to us after having been told that they have a tear in their labrum, and that surgery is their only option. In reality, not only can shoulder labral tears often been treated successfully with physiotherapy and conservative management, but research also shows that some surgeries (and in particular surgical repairs to the shoulder labrum) may work no better than a placebo.