Labral Tear of the Shoulder

What is a labral tear?

The shoulder joint is a ball-and-socket joint. The socket of the shoulder blade holds the ball of the upper arm bone. The labrum is a lip of connective tissue around the socket. When the labrum is injured, it is called a labral tear.

How does it occur?

The labrum can be torn by:

• dislocating your shoulder
• falling onto your arm
• a forced movement of your arm or shoulder
• using your arm to break a fall
• lifting a heavy object
• use of your shoulder in sports with a repetitive, high speed overhead movement, such as throwing a ball or serving in tennis

What are the symptoms?

The symptoms of a labral tear are:

• arm and shoulder pain
• arm and shoulder weakness
• painful overhead movements of the shoulder
• clicking or grinding sounds or sensations when you move your shoulder

How is it diagnosed?

Your healthcare provider will check your shoulder for pain, tenderness, loss of motion, or joint looseness as you move your arm in all directions. He or she will ask if your shoulder pain began suddenly or gradually. You may have an X-ray to see if there are any fractures in the shoulder.

Your healthcare provider may recommend that you get an MRI of your shoulder. An MRI is a special scan that shows bone, ligaments, cartilage, and muscle. The MRI may be done with an arthrogram. In an arthrogram, a special dye is injected into the shoulder to provide a better look at the labrum and other shoulder structures.

You may have an arthroscopy, a surgical procedure in which a small fiber-optic scope is inserted into your shoulder joint so your provider can see all the structures in your shoulder.

How is it treated?

To treat this condition:

• Put an ice pack, gel pack, or package of frozen vegetables, wrapped in a cloth on the area every 3 to 4 hours, for up to 20 minutes at a time.
• Take an anti-inflammatory medicine such as ibuprofen, or other medicine as directed by your provider. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medicines (NSAIDs) may cause stomach bleeding and other problems. These risks increase with age. Read the label and take as directed. Unless recommended by your healthcare provider, do not take for more than 10 days.
• Follow your provider’s instructions for doing exercises to help you recover.

Large labral tears usually need to be fixed in surgery. The tear in the labrum may be repaired or the torn parts trimmed away. Any scar tissue may be removed. If you have torn shoulder ligaments, they may be reattached. If you have a small labral tear you may choose to avoid activities that cause shoulder pain rather than have surgery.

How long will the effects last?

Pain from labral tears of the shoulder may last a long time. The pain can periodically go away but then come back with certain movements of the shoulder. Symptoms may last until the torn labrum is fixed with surgery.

When can I return to my normal activities?

Everyone recovers from an injury at a different rate. Return to your activities depends on how soon your shoulder recovers, not by how many days or weeks it has been since your injury has occurred. In general, the longer you have symptoms before you start treatment, the longer it will take to get better. The goal is to return to your normal activities as soon as is safely possible. If you return too soon you may worsen your injury.

You may safely return to your normal activities when:

• Your injured shoulder has full range of motion without pain.
• Your injured shoulder has regained normal strength compared to the uninjured shoulder.

How can I prevent a labral tear?

Many labral tears are caused by accidents that cannot be prevented. However, it is important to use good form while throwing, playing racquet sports, or lifting heavy objects.