 |
|
|
| Shoulder |
|
|
Arthroscopic Labral Repair
The shoulder joint has a ball and socket design. The socket, or glenoid, is quite small and shallow compared to the ball, or humeral head. While this design allows for an outstanding range of motion, there is not a lot of inherent stability to the shoulder. Like a golf ball sitting on a tee, it doesn’t take a whole lot to dislodge or dislocate the humeral head from the glenoid. The stability of the shoulder is reinforced by a series of ligaments, and a rim of tissue around the cup that deepens it, called the glenoid labrum. Tears of the labrum can cause pain, clicking, and a sense of instability or looseness in the shoulder.
Labral tears do not heal on their own, and can cause significant disability. Typically, labral repair has been done through an open procedure, such as a Bankart capsullorhaphy. This may cause a lot of scarring and stiffness, as many important structures are cut to reach the shoulder. Not only that, many labral tears, especially those in the back or top of the socket (SLAP lesions) are exceedingly difficult, if not impossible, to repair open.
An experienced shoulder arthroscopist can now repair most labral tears arthroscopically, using only a couple of puncture wounds in the shoulder. There are a variety of new devices that allow the passage or sutures and screws into the shoulder, to fix the torn labrum. Torn ligaments can now be repaired, or tightened. The arthroscopic labral repair allows for precise tensioning of the shoulder labrum and ligaments, creating a more ‘anatomic’ repair.
|
|
|
