Dynamic Anterior Glenohumeral Capsular Ligament Tensioning During Arthroscopic Shoulder Stabilization in Overhead-Throwing Athletes

Abstract

Although the most common surgical treatment for traumatic anterior shoulder instability is arthroscopic Bankart repair (ABR), which has shown good postoperative results, a potential risk of postoperative external rotation deficit exists. For overhead-throwing athletes, recovery of postoperative range of motion during abduction and external rotation is essential to return to preinjury performance levels. We consider that the key to returning to play after ABR on the dominant side in overhead-throwing athletes is to simultaneously gain anterior stability and mobility of the shoulder. However, no gold standard method for determining the appropriate tension of the glenohumeral capsular ligaments in overhead-throwing athletes exists. This Technical Note presents the dynamic anterior glenohumeral capsular ligament tensioning in the abduction and external rotation positions during ABR for the dominant side in overhead-throwing athletes. We consider this surgical technique to be reliable for traumatic anterior instability of the dominant shoulder in athletes who wish to return to overhead-throwing sports.