Return to Play After Arthroscopic Superior Labral Repair: A Systematic Review

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic Surgery
• Sports Medicine
• Systematic Review

Background:

• Superior labral tears are common in athletes, impacting their ability to return to preinjury activity levels.
• Inconsistent results exist regarding return to play rates and timing after surgical repair.
• Limited research has specifically evaluated the timing of return to play following superior labral repair.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review the rate and timing of return to play in athletes after arthroscopic superior labral repair.
• To analyze return to play data for overhead and collision athletes.
• To assess return to duty rates for military personnel.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature search using PRISMA guidelines across PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library.
• Inclusion of clinical studies reporting on return to play after arthroscopic superior labral repair.
• Meta-analysis comparing superior labral repair to biceps tenodesis in relevant studies.

Main Results:

• 42 studies with 1759 cases were analyzed; 77.5% overall return to sport, with 68.2% at preinjury level (mean 8.2 months).
• Overhead athletes: 69.9% return to play, 55.5% to preinjury level. Collision athletes: 77.2% return to play, 70.2% to preinjury level.
• Military personnel: 83.4% return to duty, 81.7% to preinjury level (mean 4.4 months). No significant difference between superior labral repair and biceps tenodesis.

Conclusions:

• Nearly 25% of athletes do not return to play after arthroscopic superior labral repair.
• A high rate of return to duty is observed in military personnel undergoing this procedure.
• The findings highlight variability in outcomes based on athlete type and population.