Slap Tears: How to Diagnose

Introduction

Superior labral tears are a significant cause of pain and disability for the active individual. First described by Andrews in his series of 73 overhead-throwing athletes, knowledge and understanding of this pathology has improved substantially with the advent of more advanced arthroscopic techniques. Snyder et al built on the work of Andrews and coined the term “SLAP” lesion (superior labrum, anterior and posterior), and they developed the classification system still used in clinical practice. The evaluation of a patient with shoulder pain can be challenging and requires a focused systematic approach to accurately identify the presence of symptomatic superior labral pathology.