Labral Tear

The labrum is the cartilage that covers the glenoid of the shoulder. The purpose of the labrum is to hold the head of the humerus in place. There are three different types of tears that can occur. First is typically caused by trauma and that is a complete tear of the labrum from the bone. The second type, seen more often in adults, and is a fraying of the labrum. The third is a tearing of the bicep tendon attachment from the labrum, which is also typically caused by trauma. Diagnosis is most commonly made with MRI or CT arthrogram imaging. If diagnosis cannot be confirmed with imaging, arthroscopic surgery can be done to determine if there is a tear. If the labrum is torn, surgery is the option to treat the tear. The labrum can be trimmed and re-attached. My 16 year old nephew had a posterior labral tear due to multiple sports injuries in which he dislocated his shoulder posteriorly. He had surgery to repair it in October and has healed great with full use of his shoulder again.