Muscle injuries about the shoulder are increasingly common in active individuals, with the prevalence of upper extremity muscle sprains, strains, and ruptures rising as more athletes join gyms and engage in recreational and professional strength training and weight lifting. However,…
Primary rotator cuff repair frequently leads to successful subjective results with decreased pain and increased function, but incomplete healing or retearing is known to commonly occur. Retear rates following repair of small to medium tears have been reported as high…
The subscapularis represents the anterior portion of the rotator cuff and is an important stabilizer and internal rotator for the glenohumeral joint. The first reported case documenting a subscapularis tendon tear was by Smith in 1834, with the first reported…
Historical Perspective A description of rotator cuff pathology is found in the earliest surgical text, the Edwin Smith Papyrus (c.1500 bce ). Subsequently, throughout ancient and modern history, multiple authors have written about the rotator cuff, its disease, and its…
Introduction Pathology to the proximal aspect of the long head of the biceps tendon (LHBT) has long been recognized as a source of shoulder pain and dysfunction. Referred by some as the biceps-labral complex, the proximal biceps tendon includes its…
The thrower's shoulder is a unique and challenging subset of sports medicine given the extreme demands placed on the glenohumeral joint and surrounding soft tissue structures. For purposes of discussion, we will mainly focus on medical issues as they relate…
Superior labrum anterior to posterior (SLAP) lesions have been recognized as a cause of shoulder pain since the mid-1980s. Controversy regarding normal variant labral anatomy versus truly pathologic lesions causing consistent clinical symptoms surfaced almost immediately thereafter. Snyder and colleagues…
The recurrence of anterior glenohumeral instability is not uncommon following primary surgical repair with reported rates of 15% to 30%. Optimal management for recurrent shoulder instability remains controversial; as many acceptable surgical options exist, and the decision-making process is heavily…
The shoulder is unique in that it is the most mobile joint in the human body. It serves primarily to position the hand in space and thus requires a delicate balance of stability and flexibility to accomplish its function. The…
Posterior shoulder instability is a unique condition that not only represents a spectrum of instability, but can also be difficult to diagnose and technically challenging to treat. Although less common than anterior shoulder instability, accounting for only 2% to 10%…