Sports Medicine
Bashir A. Zikria
Yalda Siddiqui
SHOULDER INSTABILITY
TUBS—Traumatic, Unidirectional instability with a Bankart lesion often requiring Surgery
Anterior instability
Patient age most important factor for recurrence
Trauma (contact sports)
Bankart lesion
Anterior inferior labral lesion
Inferior glenohumeral ligament (IGHL) main restraint to anterior in the abducted and external rotation (ER)
Neurologic examination
Axillary nerve <40 years of age
Suprascapular nerve
Range of motion (ROM)
Rotator cuff (RTC)—ability to lift arm
>40 years of age
30% to 80% RTC injuries in patients aged >60 years
Specialized tests for anterior dislocation (Figure 6.1)
Apprehension
Relocation maneuver
Imaging
Radiographs—three views
Always need axillary
Westpoint view (anterior inferior glenoid)—similar to axillary but prone and beam directed 25° inferiorly and medial
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with or without gadolinium (Figure 6.2)
88% sensitivity and 100% specificity for diagnosing IGHL tears
Mandatory in chronic dislocations to rule out bony defects
Computed tomography (CT) to assess bone loss (Figure 6.3)
Traumatic injuries (Figure 6.4)
Humeral avulsion of glenohumeral ligaments
Anterior labral periosteal sleeve avulsion
Medially displaced labroligamentous complex with absence of the labrum on the glenoid rim
Glenolabral articular disruption
Represents a partial tear of anterior inferior labrum with adjacent cartilage damage
Associated injuries
Bone defects
Chronic dislocations
Most common cause of repair failure
If >25%, may need bone graft or Latarjet-type procedure
Nonoperative treatment
Closed reduction—first-time dislocation
Period of immobilization—Studies show use of small abduction pillow in neutral or ER decreases recurrence.
Supervised rehabilitation
Cuff strengthening
Scapular stabilizers
In-season dislocation
Consider bone loss after recurrent dislocations
May need CT at the end of season
Operative treatment
Repair labrum (Bankart lesion) and tension IGHL complex
Randomized studies show equivalent results when arthroscopy compared with open procedure.
Open—subscapularis tears
Arthroscopic—ROM might be slightly better (Figure 6.5).
Failure
Glenoid defects >25%
Engaging Hill-Sachs
Engaging Hill-Sachs lesion (>25%) with recurrent instability—remplissage (Figure 6.6)
Chronic dislocations—Deficiency >25% of the glenoid joint surface treated with soft-tissue repair only is associated with high recurrence rates (Figure 6.7).
Latarjet (Figure 6.8)
Coracoid transfer—glenoid depth
Soft-tissue sling—conjoint tendon
Musculocutaneous nerve at risk
Posterior instability
Blocking in football—lineman
Flexion, adduction, and internal rotation (IR)
Posterior instability tests—key in examination
Load and shift
Jerk test (Figure 6.9)
90° of abduction and IR, axially loads the humerus in a proximal direction and horizontally across the body
Positive with “clunk”
Kim test (Figure 6.10)
90° of abduction, axial loading force to arm
With arm elevated 45°, downward and backward force is applied to proximal arm.
Positive with pain
Positive jerk test combined with a positive Kim test—97% sensitivity for posterior instability
Primary stabilizers posteriorly
Superior glenohumeral ligament (SGHL)
Coracohumeral ligament
Posterior IGHL
Up to 50% misdiagnosed
Always need axillary view
Key phrases to know for test—Any of the phrases or words should lead you to posterior instability.
Seizures
Electrical shock
Offensive lineman
Push-ups
Treatment
Always treat conservatively first.
Posterior Bankart lesion
Open or arthroscopic repair
Recurrence—most common complication
Open capsular plication
Chronic locked dislocation
<6 months—McLaughlin procedure
Subscapularis and lesser tuberosity transfer to reverse Hill-Sachs defect
Hill-Sachs >20% but <50%
>6 months
Hemiarthroplasty
Hill-Sachs defect >50%
AMBRI—Atraumatic, Multidirectional, Bilateral instability that Often Responds to Rehabilitation First; Inferior capsular Shift if Surgery Needed
Global laxity
Two classic lesions
Patulous inferior capsule
Functional deficiency of rotator interval
Presentation highly variable
Shoulder popping, weakness, and paresthesias
+ Sulcus
RTC tendonitis or impingement <20
Treatment
Exhaustive conservative treatment (6 months)—closed chain physical therapy (PT)
Arthroscopic application or inferior capsular shift—positive drive-through sign
Rotator interval
Indicated in multidirectional instability
Closure of rotator interval decreases ER in shoulder adduction and posterior inferior translation
Complications of surgery for instability
Recurrence
Axillary nerve injury
Loss of motion
Late degenerative disease
Open procedures—Subscapularis repair may fail.
SUPERIOR LABRUM ANTERIOR TO POSTERIOR (SLAP) TEARS AND INTERNAL IMPINGEMENT
SLAP Tears
Mechanism—traction or compression injury related to a fall on outstretched arm
Most common in throwing athletes—repetitive motion
Pitchers—GIRD >20°
Deep pain with catching or locking with overhead activities
Contracture of posterior IGHL
Testing
Obrien test
Crank test
85% of patients have a positive apprehension or relocation test.
MR arthrography—best imaging modality (Figure 6.11)
Biceps anchor—Most significant tears are posterior to 12 o’clock position.
Arthroscopy test—Evaluate the labrum and determine whether the labrum will “peel back.”
Abduction and ER
Nonoperative treatment—first line
RTC strengthening to stabilize shoulder
Scapula stabilizers—dyskinesia
GIRD—posterior capsular stretching
Surgical treatment
Incidental finding—no need to repair
Treatment based on classification (Figure 6.12)
Type I—labral fraying, anchor intact; debridement
Type II—detached biceps anchor; repair surgically (Figure 6.13)
Type III—bucket-handle, anchor intact; debridement
Type IV—bucket-handle into tendon; detached anchor
Less than one-third biceps anchor—incise fragment
More than one-third biceps anchor—tenotomy versus tenodesis
Internal Impingement
Internal versus external impingement
External impingement—With cuff fatigue/injury, the bursal cuff is impinged by the coracoacromial arch on abduction.
Internal impingement—Increased anterior capsular laxity allows increased ER, impinging the articular side of the cuff on the posterior glenoid.
Mechanism (Figure 6.14)
Mechanical impingement of the articular side of the rotator on the posterior superior aspect of glenoid rim
“Pitcher reports the recent onset of decreased velocity and posterior shoulder pain.”
Late cocking/early acceleration phase of throwing
Examination
GIRD—20°
Bennett lesion—mineralization of posterior inferior glenoid seen on CT or x-ray
Articular-sided RTC tear (Figure 6.15)
Treatment—most treated nonoperatively
Nonoperative
Posterior capsule stretching
RTC strengthening
Changing mechanics of throwing
Surgical
Repair of SLAP lesion
Debridement of RTC
Scapulothoracic Dyskinesis
Snapping scapula with overhead activity
Causes
Bursitis
Elastofibroma
Osteochondroma
Diagnosis
Crepitus
Scapula stabilization relieves pain.
Treatment
Nonoperative—Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), scapular strengthening, and injection of corticosteroid with lidocaine can be diagnostic and therapeutic.
Surgical—bursectomy (open or arthroscopic) or resection of superomedial scapular border
LITTLE LEAGUER SHOULDER
Overuse of the throwing shoulder
Hypertrophic zone of the growth plate
Salter-Harris type I
Tension and shear on physis
Radiographs show widening proximal physis (Figure 6.16).
Treatment—nonoperative
Rest and no throwing—3 months
Prevention
IMPINGEMENT AND RTC TEARS
Diagnosis
Patient age
Instability in young patients (<45 years)—impingement
Increasing age—RTC tear more likely
>60 years old—28%
>70 years old—65%
Shoulder pain with overhead activity that radiates to arm
Painful arc 60° to 140°
Night pain
Impingement test—lidocaine
Atrophy
Tests for weakness
Jobe sign (empty can; Figure 6.17)—supraspinatus (SS)
ER at side—IS
Hornblower—teres minor
IR—subscapularis
IR weakness, excessive ER
Lift-off, cheat, Napoleon test, bear-hug test
Acute versus chronic RTC tears
Acute
Often traumatic in younger patients
Immediate loss of function
Lack atrophy
Usually repair early for examination purposes
Chronic
Often atraumatic with insidious onset
Older, less active patients
Muscle atrophy
Weakness, though some retain elevation strength
Generally begin with PT
Staging
Stage I—impingement
Edema, inflammation
Younger patients (<30 years)
Changes believed to be reversible
Stage II—partial RTC tear
Middle-aged patients (40s)
Incompletely reversible
Stage III—full-thickness RTC tear
Tendon tear
Older patients (50s)
Not reversible
Imaging
Radiography (Figure 6.18)
Humeral head elevation
Narrowing of subacromial space
<7 mm—consistent with RTC tear
<5 mm—massive RTC tear
MRI
Can assess presence of tear, partial versus full thickness, retraction, atrophy (Goutallier classification)
Can determine status of RTC muscles and size of tear
Small—0 to 1 cm
Medium—1 to 3 cm
Large—3 to 5 cm
Massive—>5 cm (involves multiple tendons)
100% sensitivity, 95% specificity for full-thickness RTC tears (Figure 6.19)
Coronal oblique—SS retraction and muscle quality
Sagittal oblique—AP extent of tear, muscle quality
Axial—biceps tendon, subscapularis, and IS tear
Ultrasonography
Increasingly used for diagnosis, assessment of postoperative healing and retearing
Figure 6.19 A full-thickness rotator cuff tear. Coronal oblique (A) and sagittal (B) MRI for full thickness supraspinatus tear.
Some centers report high sensitivity and specificity.
No difference in detection or accuracy when compared with MRI
Highly operator dependent
Dynamic
Treatment
Nonoperative—chronic atraumatic tears
Rest, activity modification
NSAIDs and injections—Lidocaine with cortisone is diagnostic and therapeutic.
PT—strengthen RTC and periscapular muscles and deltoid
Surgical indications
Acute traumatic tears
Complete tears in patients aged <50 years within 6 weeks
Failure of conservative treatment after 4 to 6 months
Pain relief most predictable
Surgical techniques
Open, arthroscopic, mini-open
Anchors, transosseous tunnels
Gold standard—open transosseous repair
Arthroscopic at least equivalent to open in newer studies
Single-row anchors, double-row anchors—no significant difference in clinical outcomes
Advantages of arthroscopic versus open repair
No deltoid detachment
Intra-articular pathology
Less soft-tissue dissection
Less pain and blood loss
Partial tears—surgical indication
Failure of conservative management—PT
Articular-sided (Figure 6.20A)—more common; repair if >6 mm (50%)
Bursal-sided (Figure 6.20B)—less common; repair if >3 mm (25%)
Small and medium tears—surgery decreases pain and improves motion.
Large tears—high surgical failure rate owing to tissue quality
Massive tears
Conservative management—older patients
Normal motion, strength may be maintained if posterior RTC and subscapularis intact.
Preservation of force couples
These patients still have progressive migration of humeral head with arm elevation but are asymptomatic.
Arthroscopic debridement
Preserve coracoacromial (CA) ligament and arch
Tendon transfers—latissimus combined SS and IS
Hemiarthroplasty—able to raise arm
Outcomes
Good function/strength if tendon heals
Tendon does not heal until approximately 12 weeks.
Factors for healing—atrophy, retraction, patient age, tendon, quality, and smoking
Less favorable outcomes after RTC surgery related to:
Worker’s Compensation status
Tear size
Fatty degeneration of RTC musculature
Age at time of intervention
Subscapularis Tears
Fall after open shoulder surgery
Most commonly missed RTC
Examination
Increased ER with arm at side, positive lift-off (Figure 6.21) or positive belly-press sign
Axial MRI—medial subluxation of biceps (Figure 6.22)
Arthroscopy—SGHL comma
Figure 6.21 Lift-off test. From Anderson MK. Shoulder conditions. In: Foundations of Athletic Training: Prevention, Assessment, and Management. 6th ed. Baltimore, MD: Wolters Kluwer; 2017:544-599.
Treatment
Repair subscapularis and biceps
Tenotomy versus tenodesis
Pectoralis tendon transfer (Figure 6.23)Stay updated, free articles. Join our Telegram channel
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