[Duration of inability for work and return to physical work after arthroscopic and open labrum refixation]

The duration of inability for work according to work load and the rate of successful return to work after open and arthroscopic Bankart repair (BR) due to anterior shoulder dislocation has not yet been examined with regard to validated work strain by the REFA classification. Thus, the objective of this study was to determine the duration of inability to work according to work load (REFA criteria) after open and arthroscopic BR as well as the rate of successful return to the original occupation.

A total of 93 patients (20 f/73 m) with isolated anterior arthroscopic or open BR due to posttraumatic anterior shoulder instability with no items of hyperlaxity were included in this study. There were 72 patients with arthroscopic and 21 patients with open BR. The postoperative aftercare was standardised and identical. The clinical assessment included the Constant and Murley scores, UCLA shoulder and the Rowe score for shoulder instability. Average follow-up time was 48.3 months (SD ± 23.6 months) with a mean age of 37.1 years (SD ± 14.4 years). The work load was classified according to the German REFA Association. Operation time, duration of inability for work and clinical outcome were analysed and compared according to the operation technique.

Mean incapacity for work in the group of arthroscopic BR was 3.3 months (SD ± 2.5) and 2.7 months (SD + 2.3 months; p = 0.37) in the group of open BR demonstrating no statistical difference. Both mean time for surgery (p = 0.0003) and in-hospital stay (p = 0.0083) showed significant differences when comparing patients with low work load (REFA 0-1) and higher work load (REFA 2-4) irrespective of the surgical approach. Overall analysis showed an average time of 2.3 months (SD ± 1.5) to return to work for patients with low work load (REFA 0-1) and 4.2 months (SD ± 2.9) for individuals with high work load (REFA 2-4) revealing significant differences (p = 0.0006). The mean inability for work after arthroscopic BR for patients with REFA 0-1 was 2.4 months (SD ± 1.6) and 4.2 months (± 2,9; p = 0.0053) for patients with REFA 2-4 revealing a significant difference. The mean inability for work after open BR for individuals with REFA 0-1 was 1.8 months (± 1.0) and 4.3 months (± 3.3; p = 0.1196) for individuals with REFA 2-4. Two out of 35 patients (5.7 %) with low work load (REFA 0-1) and 10 out of 37 patients (27 %) with high work load (REFA 2-4) could not return to their original occupation after arthroscopic BR. One out of 14 patients (7.1 %) with low work load (REFA 0-1) and 4 out of 7 patients (57.1 %) with high work load (REFA 2-4) could not return to their original occupation after open BR. Comparing these results between arthroscopic and open BR, no significant differences were obtained (chi-square, Pearson). Recurrent shoulder dislocation occurred in the arthroscopic group in 14.3 % (REFA 0-1) and 8.1 % (REFA 2-4) compared to the open procedure group in 0 % (REFA 0-1) and 14 % (REFA 2-4) revealing no statistically significant differences.

This study showed equivalent results after performing open and arthroscopic BR with significantly shorter operation times and in-hospital stays after arthroscopic BR. Higher work loads caused longer inability for work irrespective of the chosen surgical technique. On the basis of these results we recommend arthroscopic BR as the standard primary procedure, while the overall rate of return to work without restrictions of 81.7 % has to be improved in the future.