Shoulder Labrum Tears – Pain Free Joint

The labrum of the shoulder is a soft cartilage structure that attaches at the rim/margin of the glenoid cavity (socket) of the blade of the shoulder and connects the head of the humerus and the socket. Rotator cuff (muscles and tendons) supports the labrum to keep head of the humerus in the socket.

Labral tears can cause pain in the shoulder and you can feel instability during the shoulder movements.

Types of tear

SLAP lesion or SLAP tear: SLAP (superior labrum anterior-posterior), labrum got torn at the upper portion from both sides (front and back) where it attaches with the biceps tendon. Baseball and tennis players most commonly affected by this. It may also occur in persons with damaged biceps tendon
Bankart lesion or tear: The tear of labrum of shoulder at the bottom of the socket of the shoulder is known as Bankart lesion
Posterior labrum tear: An injury of the shoulder from the back is called posterior labrum tear. This type of tear is rare

Causes

Any injury or trauma to joint of the shoulder
Repetitive shoulder movement or overuse injury
Fall on an outstretched shoulder (arm)
Direct hit on shoulder joint
Sudden Tug or pull on arm
Wear and tear damage

Symptoms

Painful condition that causes pain in the shoulder joint
Catching sensation
You can also feel locking in the shoulder joint
You can feel a pop sound when you move your arm
You may feel a grinding in the joint during movement
Your shoulder becomes unstable or you feel instability
Range of movement compromised
You feel weakness in your arm

Diagnosis

Your doctor will perform physical examination and check for the joint movement and range of movements, will ask about your history and symptoms
Your doctor can suggest an X-ray to check for any bone injury
MRI and CT scan are more specific investigation to diagnose the labral tears

Treatment

Give rest to your shoulder
Take medications to relieve pain and inflammation
Physiotherapy exercises: To strengthen your shoulder muscle, muscle strengthening will help to make your shoulder stable
Treatment is usually surgery
Arthroscopy helps in repairing