High Rates of Return To Play Following Surgical Stabilization for Shoulder Instability in Adolescent Athletes: A...

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic Surgery
• Sports Medicine
• Biomechanical Engineering

Background:

• Anterior shoulder instability is common in adolescent athletes.
• Surgical stabilization aims to restore shoulder function and stability.
• Understanding return to play (RTP) and recurrence rates is crucial for patient outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review evidence on RTP and recurrent instability after surgical stabilization for anterior shoulder instability in adolescents.
• To compare outcomes of arthroscopic Bankart repair, open Bankart repair, and Latarjet procedures.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature search following PRISMA guidelines.
• Inclusion of studies reporting RTP, RTP at the same/higher level, and recurrent instability.
• Analysis of data from 25 studies involving 1,172 adolescent patients.

Main Results:

• High RTP rates (median 66-100%) observed across all procedures.
• Lower rates of return to the same/higher level of competition for arthroscopic Bankart repair (56-100%).
• Latarjet procedure demonstrated the lowest recurrent instability (0-8%) and dislocation (5-10%) rates.

Conclusions:

• Adolescent athletes achieve high RTP rates post-stabilization, regardless of surgical technique.
• Return to pre-injury competitive level varies by procedure.
• The Latarjet procedure offers superior outcomes regarding recurrent instability compared to Bankart repairs.