Labrum & SLAP Tear

Your shoulder labrum is soft cartilage that lines your joint's socket and helps keep the ball of the joint in place. If your labrum tears, your shoulder may hurt or feel loose. Reach out to EvergreenHealth for specialized treatment to relieve pain and restore your joint's stability.

Causes of a Torn Labrum

You may experience a labral injury because of:

• Shoulder dislocation (popped shoulder)
• Athletic activities, like throwing a baseball, that repeatedly stress your biceps tendon (tissue that connects the biceps muscle to bone)
• Joint wear and tear as you age

Signs & Symptoms

Depending on the part of your labrum that's torn, you may experience pain.

If you have a Bankart tear (injury at the bottom of the labrum) your shoulder can be unstable and easily slip out of place.

If you have a superior labrum from anterior to posterior (SLAP) tear (injury at the top of the labrum), you'll likely experience pain in that area of your shoulder.

Another type of labrum tear is a degenerative tear. This type of tear occurs as we age, but it usually does not cause pain. Studies show that patients with degenerative tears usually have normal shoulder function.

Diagnosing Labral Tears

Your doctor may order an MRI, sometimes with an injection of a special dye, to identify a labrum injury. In some cases, your doctor will also inject an anesthetic (numbing medicine) to confirm that your labrum is the cause of your shoulder pain. Your shoulder could hurt because of a torn rotator cuff, which is very close to the labrum. An experienced, fellowship-trained shoulder surgeon at EvergreenHealth will make sure you get a correct diagnosis, so you receive the correct treatment for you.

Treating Labrum Injuries

A tear of the labrum does not always need to be repaired. The decision whether or not to repair the labrum is complex and requires a complete evaluation by a surgeon. At EvergreenHealth, you can expect a personalized treatment plan based on your specific type of labral tear, age, health, lifestyle and other factors. If your main symptom is pain, your orthopedic surgeon will likely recommend physical therapy to strengthen your shoulder muscles and help the joint move more comfortably.

However, depending on the type of tear and the condition of your shoulder, surgery may be required for the labrum to heal.

Labrum Surgery

Surgery for pain should be considered if a minimum of 8 weeks of physical therapy does not lessen the discomfort. Surgery for instability can be considered right away if the labrum tear occurred after a shoulder dislocation.

You may benefit from surgery at EvergreenHealth if:

• Rehabilitation doesn't offer enough pain relief
• Your shoulder is unstable after a dislocation and needs a procedure called Bankart repair, which reattaches torn tissue to your joint
• You have a SLAP tear, which a surgeon can treat by repairing it or reattaching the biceps tendon outside the joint

Ask your fellowship-trained shoulder surgeon as many questions as you need to understand your options and likely outcomes. We want you to feel fully informed and confident in your choice of treatment.

Recovery Timeline

• First four weeks: Keep the arm in the sling. No reaching, lifting or pushing with the arm. You may bend your elbow and use the hand while the arm is in the sling.
• 4 weeks: Stop using the sling. Start using the arm for light activities like reaching in front of the body. No reaching away from the body and out to the side at the same time. Start physical therapy to learn how to stretch the shoulder in safe positions.
• 8 weeks after surgery: Start strengthening the shoulder with your therapist. Continue with a stretching program to regain all of your motion.
• 12 weeks after surgery: Now you can reach out to side without restriction and continue to strengthen the shoulder with more resistance.
• 6 months after surgery: If your strength is the same in both shoulders, they you can return to contact sports