Shoulder labral tear surgery is a procedure in which a surgeon repairs a torn labrum in the shoulder. Labral tears most often occur when the arm is forced away from the body (abduction), and they frequently happen in athletes, especially those who play sports that involve throwing, such as baseball or football.
Labral tears can also occur as a result of general wear and tear or due to direct trauma to the shoulder.
When a labrum tear occurs, it can be painful and may limit movement of the shoulder. Surgery may help correct this problem if conservative treatments, such as rest and physical therapy, are ineffective.
During shoulder labral tear surgery, a surgeon makes an incision over the affected shoulder and inserts surgical tools into the joint. These tools allow the surgeon to see inside the joint itself and repair any damage to the labrum. Depending on the severity of the injury, this may involve suturing (stitching) of any torn areas or removal of damaged tissue.
After surgery, physical therapy will likely be needed to regain full range of motion and strength in the shoulder.
Shoulder labral tear surgery is a minimally invasive arthroscopic procedure that can help alleviate symptoms caused by a torn labrum. A torn labrum can be caused by a traumatic injury like a fall or from repetitive motions, often in sports like tennis and swimming, and can lead to the following symptoms:
Shoulder pain
Catching or clicking sensations in the joint
Reduced range of motion in the shoulder
Swelling and inflammation around the joint
Weakness in the arm
Shoulder labral tears are a common cause of shoulder instability and pain. The labrum is a ring of tissue that surrounds the shoulder socket and helps to keep the upper arm bone in place. Tears in this tissue can cause pain and make the shoulder more prone to dislocations.
Many people with labral tears have nonsurgical treatment, such as physical therapy. But if you have severe symptoms or other problems in your shoulder, you may need surgery to repair the tear.
These are some of the most common procedures:
Arthroscopy (arthroscopic surgery) is done using small incisions, through which a surgeon inserts a thin tube containing a tiny camera called an arthroscope. The camera allows the surgeon to see inside your joint without having to cut a large opening for viewing. In addition to being less invasive, arthroscopy allows for faster healing and quicker recovery times than open surgery.
Open surgery is used when arthroscopy is not practical or possible, such as when repairs cannot be made through small incisions or when extensive work needs to be done on soft tissues surrounding the joint.
Shoulder arthroscopy takes about an hour and half. You receive general anesthesia so that you will sleep during the procedure and not feel
A shoulder labral tear is an injury to the cartilage rim surrounding the socket of the shoulder joint. Labral tears can result from traumatic injury, degeneration or overuse. If you are experiencing pain, instability or a catching sensation in your shoulder, you may be suffering from a torn labrum. Surgery is not always necessary to treat a labral tear. However, when these symptoms persist despite non-surgical treatments, arthroscopic surgery may be recommended to repair the damage and restore full function to the shoulder joint.
The Orthopaedic Group will work with you to determine if surgery is right for you. Should your condition require surgical intervention, our team of physicians specializing in orthopedics, sports medicine and physical therapy will provide comprehensive care and support throughout the entire process of your recovery.
The labrum is a rim of cartilage that surrounds the socket of the shoulder joint. The role of the labrum is to deepen the socket and provide stability for the shoulder.
Causes of Labral Tears
Labral tears can be caused by injury or degeneration over time. For example, a traumatic event such as a fall can cause a labrum tear. A traumatic event may occur in sports where one falls on an outstretched arm, such as wrestling or football. These injuries usually occur in younger patients. Degenerative tears usually occur in older patients who have lost cartilage from years of wear and tear on their shoulders. This type of injury occurs more often in baseball players who throw with their arms over their head repetitively over time.
Symptoms of Labral Tears
Patients will present with varying degrees of pain and instability depending on severity and cause of injury:
Pain: pain can vary from mild soreness to severe pain with movement, especially overhead activities (e.g. reaching up to cabinets) or throwing activities when the arm is at maximum external rotation (e.g. throwing a ball)
Loss of strength: weakness can vary from mild to significant, especially when lifting objects overhead
Instability: instability symptoms can include feeling
Surgery is usually recommended if your shoulder has been damaged by sports, repetitive activities or a fall.
When to have surgery
You may be recommended surgery if:
you have a large tear that needs repairing
your symptoms are severe and won’t get better with physiotherapy and painkillers
you’re not getting any better after several months of physiotherapy and painkillers
your tear is affecting your ability to sleep or do everyday tasks
A SLAP tear occurs at the point where the biceps tendon attaches to the labrum of the shoulder. This is called the biceps anchor. The biceps tendon is attached to the labrum via a structure called the glenoid. The glenoid provides stability and strength to the joint. The rotator cuff also helps to stabilize and strengthen the joint by preventing motion of the humeral head (the ball) during movement.
The glenoid and rotator cuff are usually connected by three bones:
- Glenohumeral Ligament (GHL)
- Rotator Cuff
- Coracoclavicular Ligament (CCL)
Causes of a SLAP injury include:
- Trauma to the shoulder from a fall, sports injury or other activity
- Repetitive overhead motions such as throwing or serving in tennis
How Long Does it Take to Recover From a Shoulder labral Tear Surgery?
The recovery time for a shoulder labral tear surgery varies. It depends on the severity of the injury you have and the amount of work your doctor needs to do to fix it.
Also, shoulder labral tears can be harder to treat than labrum tears in other joints. That’s because the shoulder joint has a lot more room in it than the hip or knee. So there’s more motion that can cause problems with healing after surgery.
If you have a shoulder labral tear, your doctor will probably recommend rest and physical therapy before surgery. Surgery is usually reserved for people who don’t respond to nonsurgical treatments or who have injuries that are too severe to heal on their own.
How long does it take to heal from a shoulder labral tear?
The first few days after surgery, your arm may still be numb. So you won’t feel much pain in your shoulder. But after that, it’ll probably hurt a lot for about 2 weeks. The pain will ease off over time as you recover.
Your doctor will likely put your arm in a sling for 1-2 weeks after surgery to keep your joint stable as you heal. You might also have a drain tube to collect fluid from the area around your wound and prevent infections. Your doctor will
A shoulder labral tear is a tear of the rim of cartilage (labrum) around the socket of the shoulder joint. Its primary function is to deepen the socket and provide stability to the ball and socket joint. Shoulder labral tears can be caused by repetitive overhead activities (i.e., baseball pitching, volleyball), trauma, or degeneration.
The goals of surgery are to repair or reconstruct the torn labrum, remove any loose bodies that may be present in the joint, and clean up any abnormal tissue that may be causing pain. The type of surgical procedure performed will depend on your specific injury. The procedure is typically performed through a one-inch incision on the front of your shoulder, but in some cases, surgery may need to be performed through an incision on the back of the shoulder (posterior).
Recovery after surgery will vary depending on what was done during surgery and what activities you want to return to. In general, most people will work with physical therapists several times a week for several weeks after surgery. You may also have some light range of motion exercises you can perform at home. You will gradually increase your activity level over time as you progress through physical therapy and your surgeon gives you approval to do so. Allow at least
Shoulder labrum surgery recovery time varies. Labral repair procedures can take between three and six months to fully recover, but rehab is not always a linear process.
If you’ve had surgery to repair a torn shoulder labrum, you’re probably wondering when you’ll be able to return to your favorite sports or activities. The answer depends on the type of procedure you’ve had. In general, it takes about three months for the labrum to heal from most surgical repairs, but you may have to wait longer than that before returning to sports.
The best way to speed up labral tear surgery recovery is to follow the therapist’s instructions closely and work hard at physical therapy.
It’s important not to rush the rehabilitation process because your shoulder needs time to heal properly. For example, if your labrum was repaired with anchors, it will take six months for those anchors to fully integrate with the tissue in your shoulder joint. If you resume your normal activities too soon, there’s a risk that the anchors will fail and you may need another surgery.
A shoulder labral tear is a tear in the cartilage that lines, cushions and stabilizes the joint.
A tear can occur from an injury or from wear and tear associated with aging. The most common cause of a labral tear is the type of repetitive overhead motion commonly seen with swimming, baseball pitching and tennis.
Symptoms of a shoulder labral tear include:
Pain deep in the shoulder when sleeping, lifting or pushing.
The shoulder can feel like it wants to pop out of its socket, even if it doesn’t.
Limited range of motion in some directions.
Pain when other joints are moved, such as the elbow, wrist or neck.
Diagnosis is made through physical examination, X-rays and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Treatment ranges from rest and time to surgery to repair the damaged tissue.
Most patients take six to eight weeks to recover after surgery for a shoulder labral tear, depending on how active you were before surgery. If you had surgery for an unstable shoulder that was popping out of its socket, you may have restrictions on physical activity for three months or longer.
The recovery time for a labral repair is typically around 8-12 weeks. Full recovery can take several months. For more information on this topic, please visit the orthopedic section of our website.
There are a number of different surgical procedures and the recovery will depend on which procedure you have had.
Here is an example of how long it takes to recover from a labral repair.
Labrum repair (arthroscopic)
Recovery time for labrum repair (arthroscopic) will vary depending on the type of work you do, but most people can return to work in 2-6 weeks if they have a desk job, or 3-8 weeks if they have a physically demanding job. You’ll be able to resume normal activities between 4 and 6 months.
A labral tear is a tear of the ring of cartilage that follows the outside rim of the socket of your shoulder joint. The socket is called the glenoid and the ball is called the humeral head. These bones form the glenohumeral joint. The labrum deepens the socket and increases stability of your shoulder. A labral tear can be caused by a traumatic injury or repetitive overhead activity.
A SLAP tear refers specifically to a labral tear in an area near where the biceps tendon inserts into the labrum called the superior labrum. Inferior labral tears are those that occur in other areas around the rim of your shoulder socket.
The symptoms of a labral tear include pain, clicking, catching, popping and loss of motion in your shoulder. Diagnosis can be very difficult because there are many possible causes for these symptoms including rotator cuff tears, impingement syndrome, arthritis, biceps tendonitis and SLAP tears.
An MRI arthrogram is an imaging test that is often ordered to diagnose a labral tear. This is an MRI with contrast injected directly into your shoulder joint before imaging. This helps any abnormality in your shoulder joint show up better on images obtained through an MRI scan.
Is Shoulder Labrum Surgery a Major Surgery?
The decision to have surgery is a big one. Before you proceed with any surgical procedure, you’ll want to make the best-informed decision about the options available for your treatment. We understand that you may have questions and concerns. At Rothman Institute, we believe an educated patient will be able to make the best decisions about his or her care.
Below are some common questions patients ask about arthroscopic labrum repair. The answers can help you choose the right treatment for your injury.
The answers to these questions do not apply to all cases, and are not meant as medical advice on which you should act without consulting a doctor.
It depends on what is being done to the labrum. In general, labral repairs are not considered major surgeries. The procedures are typically done arthroscopically, so there is no large incision. Most patients go home the same day as their procedure. For the first few days after surgery, you will have a sling to protect your shoulder. Then you can begin doing range of motion exercises in your sling, and then later when you are out of your sling.
No, not usually. There are a few instances where it can be more significant. In general, labrum surgery is much less invasive than total shoulder replacement surgery or even rotator cuff repair.
The labrum is a rim of cartilage that surrounds the socket of the shoulder (glenoid) and provides an extra layer of stability and containment. When it’s torn, it can be repaired in one of two ways: by sewing the torn edges back together or by re-attaching it to the bone with a drill and anchors.
Depending on what else has to be done at the time of surgery, labrum repair can take between 20 minutes to 1 hour or longer. Recovery takes about 6 weeks for non-athletes and is typically 3-4 months for athletes before they can get back to throwing or impact activities such as football, hockey or lacrosse.
The shoulder labrum is a ring of cartilage that surrounds the shoulder socket and provides cushioning as well as stability. Labrum tears may be caused by a traumatic injury, or they may occur gradually over time due to wear and tear, causing pain and instability in the shoulder.
Repairing the labrum can be done through either open surgery or arthroscopy. Arthroscopic repair involves the insertion of small surgical instruments through tiny incisions in the skin using an arthroscope (a miniature camera) to visualize the inside of the joint during surgery.
If you have a rotator cuff tear, your doctor may recommend repairing this at the same time as your labrum. Your surgeon will also determine if you would benefit from having other procedures performed, such as a biceps tenodesis or acromioplasty/subacromial decompression procedure to help relieve your symptoms and improve your outcome.
Shoulder surgery, in general, is one of the more common surgeries. There are several different types of shoulder surgery, including:
- Rotator cuff repair – recovery time = 6-8 weeks
- Shoulder replacement – recovery time = 4-6 weeks
- Labrum repair – recovery time = 3-6 months
- Bankart’s repair – recovery time = 3-6 months
- AC joint reconstruction – recovery time = 4-6 weeks
The labrum is a ring of cartilage that surrounds the glenoid socket of the shoulder. A tear in this ring may be caused by injury or degenerative changes and can lead to instability, weakness, and pain.
Labral tears that do not heal with conservative treatment (physical therapy, activity modification, NSAIDs) may require surgical repair.
The surgery is performed arthroscopically (via small incisions), in which a camera and instruments are inserted into the joint through small incisions. The torn portions of the labrum are resected (trimmed), and then the remaining labrum is repaired to its normal position with suture anchors.
After surgery, patients are placed in a sling for 3-4 weeks, followed by physical therapy. Patients can expect to return to full activities at 3-4 months postoperatively.
A labral tear is an injury to the rim of cartilage that surrounds the shoulder socket. The shoulder joint is a ball and socket joint. The ball is at the top of the humerus (upper arm bone) and fits into the cup-shaped socket in the shoulder blade called the glenoid.
The labrum is a special type of cartilage that extends along the edge of the glenoid. It helps to deepen the socket and provide stability for the joint.
A labral tear can occur from a sudden injury or from wear and tear due to use over time. If you have a tear, you may feel pain with certain motions of your shoulder and when lifting or pushing objects away from your body. It may be difficult to keep your arm in an elevated position for long periods of time, as well as sleep on that side.
Labral tears are treated with non-surgical care unless it interferes with daily activities or does not respond to other treatment options. Surgery is sometimes recommended if you continue to have symptoms after trying other treatment options, such as activity modification, physical therapy, anti-inflammatory medication, or injections.
Surgery is done arthroscopically by making small incisions around your shoulder joint. A camera