Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 14, 2026
Reverse Total Shoulder Arthroplasty
Published on: July 5, 2011
[Arthroscopic treatment of posterior shoulder instability]
Sven Lichtenberg1, Peter Habermeyer, Petra Magosch
1ATOS-Praxisklinik Heidelberg, Bismarckstrasse 9-15, D-69115, Heidelberg, Germany. lichtenberg@atos.de
Objective:
Reconstruction of the posterior stabilizing structures of the glenohumeral joint in arthroscopic technique.
Indications:
Posterior shoulder instability and/or chronic subluxations with lesions of the posterior labrum and capsuloligamentous structures.
Contraindications:
Voluntary instability or posterior instability due to pathologic muscle patterning, posterior instability with glenoid fracture, large bone defects of the humeral head (20% of the inferior posterior glenoid) or locked posterior dislocations, dysplasia of the glenoid with pathologic retroversion > 25 degrees .
Surgical Technique:
Mobilization of the pathologic and extraanatomically healed labroligamentous complex, decortication of the glenoid rim, repositioning and refixation of the labroligamentous complex at the glenoid rim using suture anchors.
Postoperative Management:
Abduction splint at 15 degrees for 3 weeks. Functional therapy with passive mobilization that avoids forced internal rotation. Muscle strengthening only after free range of motion has been achieved. Return to sports that put strain on the shoulder after 6 months.
Results:
Eleven patients with a mean age of 31 years were prospectively documented and followed for a mean of 33 months postoperatively. One patient suffered from a traumatic recurrence and one patient experienced recurrent subluxations. The overall mean Rowe score was 95 out of 100 points.
