Shoulder Labral Tear

​​​The labrum is a ring of cartilage that lines the outer rim of your shoulder’s socket. Acting like a rubber seal, the labrum helps stabilize your shoulder. A hard blow, fall or sudden pull on your shoulder can cause a labral tear. It can also result from repetitive overuse, such as weightlifting or playing baseball or tennis. A labral tear can lead to instability in your shoulder joint.

Diagnosing Shoulder Labral Tear

If you have shoulder pain or instability, we can diagnose your condition and offer tailored treatment that meets your needs.

Signs & Symptoms of Shoulder Labral Tear

For many people, a shoulder labral tear does not cause symptoms. However, if the tear progresses, it may become painful.

Shoulder labral tear symptoms include:

• Feeling of instability, like your shoulder is “coming out of the socket” 
• Limited range of motion
• Pain that occurs at night or during everyday activities
• Popping, grinding or catching in the shoulder
• Weakness

Diagnosis

We will review your health history and perform different tests to diagnose a shoulder labral tear. These include:

• Physical exam—your doctor will move your shoulder into different positions to check your stability and range of motion.
• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)—an imaging test that uses a tube surrounded by a giant circular magnet to take images of your shoulder.
• X-rays—an imaging test that uses electromagnetic radiation with very high frequency and energy to get a picture of your shoulder.

Shoulder Labral Tear Treatment

Depending on the severity of your labral tear, we may recommend different treatments to ease your pain and help your shoulder recover. Labral tears often heal with nonsurgical treatments.

Nonsurgical Treatments

Nonsurgical treatments for shoulder labral tear include:

• Anti-inflammatory and pain medications—medicines that help manage the pain associated with inflammation.
• Physical therapy—treats stiffness, muscle weakness and pain using exercises to strengthen and improve the range of motion in your shoulder.
• Rest—avoiding certain activities to give the shoulder time to heal.

Surgical Treatments

If needed, your doctor may recommend surgery to repair your labral tear. Minimally invasive arthroscopic surgery is the most common surgical technique for this condition.