The Labrum Procedure

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The shoulder is a joint made up of three bones, the scapula (shoulder blade), the clavicle (collarbone) and the humerus (upper arm bone). The shoulder is a ball and socket type joint where the humerus forms into a ball like structure and sits in the glenoid cavity of the scapula. The labrum is a thick band of tissue that goes around the shoulder socket and helps make the socket deeper. This band cushions the bone of your humerus and helps keep it from slipping; it provides stability to the shoulder. Additionally, several ligaments and tendons attach to the labrum to help with the stability, and approximately 50% of the bicep tendon fibers connect to the Labrum.
The most common mechanisms of injury for a Labrum tear in the shoulder include
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If it is a minor tear the doctor may recommend anti-inflammatories and rest. A Physician may also recommend and prescribe physical therapy to help strengthen the muscles in the shoulder in order to potentially get rid of the pain in the shoulder and protect the labrum from further damage. If none of these options work for the patient or if there is a more severe tear the doctor will then recommend surgery to the patient. The type of surgery necessary will depend on the type of tear in which the patient has. Based on the fact that the doctor has determined the labrum to be torn, they will go in and perform arthroscopic surgery. This will give the doctor a better look at what is going on within the shoulder. During arthroscopic surgery, a small incision will be made in order to place a camera in the area necessary and then another incision will be made in order to get the tools that are necessary for surgery in. If there is a flap of tissue torn and it is not completely unattached, the doctor may choose to go in and shave or cut off the loose flaps. If there is a complete tear in the labrum the doctor will repair the labrum back to the socket of the shoulder. If there is a SLAP tear or if the tear involves the bicep tendon the doctor will then need to not only repair the labrum but the bicep tendon as well by reattaching the tendon to the labrum. …show more content…
Any patient that goes through this kind of surgery will, however, be predisposed to future shoulder problems. These issues include but are not limited to, future labrum tears, shoulder dislocation, and shoulder instability. The reason for such issues being likely to occur is due to the fact that the shoulder is unable to be used for a set period of time as well as depending on the type of surgery required the patient may actually lose some of its labrum that may have been shaved or cut off. These issues can help be prevented by the patient completing rehab as instructed and continuing with home rehab activities as well as continued strength