Dr. Nicholas Walla
Sports Medicine
Labral Tear - Shoulder Joint
If you’re suffering from shoulder pain or a shoulder injury, learn how Dr. Jason Hurst or Dr. David Crawford and JIS Orthopedics can help you get back to living your life without limits. To schedule a consultation, click the button below!
What Our Patients Say
“I have bursitis in both shoulders and need injections every 3 months. We travel to this New Albany office which is 2.5 hours from our home. That’s how much I trust him and how much I trust his expertise.” — Kathy G.
The shoulder joint is made up of three bones—the shoulder blade, the upper arm bone (humerus), and the clavicle. The shoulder joint is a ball and socket joint. The humeral head makes up the ball part, and the glenoid of the shoulder blade makes up the shoulder socket.
The shoulder socket is very shallow. Ligaments and cartilage hold the socket in place. The shoulder labrum is a rigid piece of cartilage that deepens the socket. Some of the tendons in the shoulder joint also attach to the labrum in certain locations.
If you get a shoulder injury due to trauma, the ligaments that attach to the labrum will often tear the labrum off the bone. After an injury, the labrum doesn’t usually heal in the right place and often needs specialized treatment.
If you are experiencing pain in your shoulder and suspect you have a labrum shoulder tear, schedule an appointment with JIS Orthopedics today! We have offices conveniently located in New Albany and St. Clairsville, OH. Our orthopedic surgeons look forward to helping you treat your shoulder issues.
Types of Labrum Tears
A shoulder labral tear can happen in three different ways. The different types of shoulder labral tears are as follows:
- The labrum is completely torn off the bone — This type of shoulder labral tear is usually associated with a shoulder injury. It can happen when the shoulder joint is dislocated or subluxated. It is also known as a Bankart tear or lesion.
- There is a tear within the labrum — The edge of the labrum can sometimes become frayed with age. Usually, there are no symptoms related to this type of tear.
- A labral tear related to a tear in the biceps tendon — The biceps tendon attaches to the upper end of the labrum closest to your head. This part of the labrum is called the superior labrum. This part of the labrum extends down the front and back of the shoulder joint (anterior and posterior, respectively). When this tendon tears at the shoulder joint, the labrum often tears too. When the labrum tears, the injury is often called a SLAP tear or lesion. This refers to a superior labrum anterior-posterior tear.
Who Is at Risk of a Shoulder Labrum Tear?
A shoulder labrum tear often occurs through repetitive overuse injuries or trauma to the shoulder. If you play sports that involve lifting your arm over your head, then you are at a greater risk of causing a repetitive strain injury. These sports may include baseball, softball, or tennis.
You may also cause a traumatic injury to your shoulder by falling on an outstretched arm, receiving a blow to your shoulder, or receiving a hard pull on your arm.
How Does a Torn Labrum Feel?
The most common symptom of a shoulder labral tear is shoulder pain. Other symptoms of labral tears in the shoulder include the following:
- Popping in the shoulder joint while in motion
- Your shoulder may feel like it is grinding while moving
- The shoulder can feel like it is catching while moving
- You may feel like the shoulder locks
- Reduced range of motion
- Shoulder instability
- Weakness in the shoulder
How to Diagnose Shoulder Labral Tears
Labral tears can be difficult to diagnose. A professional diagnosis is recommended in order to get an accurate diagnosis.
Diagnosis will often start with a physical examination and consideration of your medical history. Your doctor will want to know if you have had a previous shoulder dislocation or any other shoulder injuries. The doctor will check your range of motion and check for instability in the shoulder.
You will often have an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scan to diagnose a labral tear and its severity.
Labral Tear Shoulder Treatment
Treatment for a shoulder labral tear will depend on your type of tear. If the labrum has torn off the bone, it will need to be reattached. This is usually done through arthroscopic surgery, a minimally invasive technique using small incisions.
SLAP lesions will often be reattached through arthroscopic surgery, as the area where the biceps tendon attaches is hard to reach.
If the labrum is frayed, surgery is not usually recommended as it does not cause any symptoms.
Recovery After Labrum Surgery
Recovery from a labrum surgery typically takes 2 to 6 months, depending on the type of repair and the severity of the damage to the labrum. Healing time can take this long because the repaired labrum needs to heal to the bone before full activity can begin.
Physical therapy will play a significant role in recovery from labral surgery. The goals of physical therapy are to encourage healing of the labrum, restore range of motion, and improve overhead function.
How to Prevent a Labral Tear
There are some things you can do to help lower the risk of a labral tear. Try to follow the following preventative measures:
- Warm up and stretch before participating in sports
- Strengthen the muscles of your shoulder joint
- Rest if you experience shoulder pain
- Allow full recovery from injuries
- Avoid repetitive overuse of the shoulder
Address Your Shoulder Pain Today
If you are experiencing pain in your shoulder, schedule an appointment with JIS Orthopedics today! We have offices conveniently located in New Albany and St. Clairsville, OH. Our orthopedic surgeons look forward to helping you restore your shoulder movement.
Medically reviewed by Dr. Nicholas Walla
JIS can diagnose and treat your injury, and help you recover
If you have a shoulder injury or chronic shoulder pain, we can help you. Schedule an appointment to get a diagnosis and treatment recommendations.
