Glenoid Labrum Tear

The glenoid labrum is the connection between the soft tissue and the bone in the socket (glenoid) of the shoulder joint.

The labrum is torn from the bone in a dislocation of the shoulder. This tear which often fails to heal leads to an increased risk of further dislocations.

Symptoms relate primarily to the loss of stability due to the tear allowing the shoulder to either partially of fully dislocate. Partial dislocation (subluxation) can cause acute pain in the shoulder or a deadness in the arm for a few minutes. Labral tears at the back of the shoulder cause more pain than instability in particular with activities such as pushing at shoulder height.

Diagnosis is often based on the history and clinical signs. Imaging with MRI or in particular MRI with a contrast medium injected in the shoulder (MR Arthrogram) will often outline the tear.

In younger more active patients labral tears are more likely to result in symptoms of instability. In older patients they are often an incidental finding and don’t cause either pain or instability.

If the tear is causing either pain or recurrent episodes of instability surgery may be indicated. This is either arthroscopic or open depending on the nature of the tear and associated injuries.