Return to Sports After Latarjet Surgery

Shoulder instability (recurrent dislocations) may be caused from a congenital deformity, recurrent overuse activity, and/or trauma. Surgical stabilization can be done arthroscopically or through an open incision, depending on the damage to the soft tissue (labrum/capsule) and bones (glenoid/humeral head) of the shoulder joint.

The Latarjet procedure, also known as a “coracoid transfer,” is a surgical procedure performed to treat shoulder instability by relocating a piece of bone (the coracoid) with an attached tendon to the shoulder joint. The Latarjet procedure is indicated for anterior shoulder instability that is recurrent and/or caused by a bony Bankart lesion.

This treatment technique has very favorable outcomes for treatment of instability. With regard to sports, researchers performed a systematic review of 14 and found:

• Return to sport (RTS) at any level ranged from 80% to 100% in all but 1 study.
• Athletes returned to sport at some level, but return at the previous level was less reliable (range 16% to 95% in the 14 studies).
• Further, the rate of post-operative dislocation was low (0-14%).