The ball and socket joint of the shoulder happens to be the most mobile joint in the human body with the greatest range of motion than any joint in the body. However, the mobility and range of motion come at the compromise of instability i.e. shoulder also is the most unstable joint in the human body. The combination of increased mobility and instability makes it highly vulnerable to the injury which is why shoulder injuries are the most common types of sports injury treated by Joint replacement surgeon, Dr. Chirag Patel at our Joint and Sports Clinic in Surat. A labral tear is one of such common shoulder problem that results from injury or the normal aging process.
Shoulder Anatomy: Where does the labrum fits-in?
The ball in the ball & socket joint is the humorous, the upper arm that attaches to the shoulder, and the socket is called glenoid formed by the scapula (shoulder blade). All the bones in the shoulder joint are tightly packed by the ligaments to provide stability and avoid dislocation. The labrum is a special type of ligament that attaches itself to the outer edge of the socket just like a rim, to help the ball of the humorous fit tightly into the socket. The second function of the labrum is to provide support for the other shoulder ligaments that are attached to it. So when shoulder injuries happen and ligaments are affected, labrum sometimes get pulled or even torn in rare cases.
What is a Labral Tear?
The tear of this thick tissue of Labrum that supports the shoulder joint is called labral tear and there are three ways a labral tear can happen:
- When the shoulder is completed dislocated or subluxated, the labral may suffer a complete tear without any additional symptoms.
- The second type of labral tear happens when the labrum over time gets frayed and tear happens from the inside over time due to aging. This type of tear is commonly seen in people over age 40.
- The third type of labral tear happens due to the injury at an area where bicep tendon attaches to the labrum, the thin tendon when injured can pull the labrum along with it, causing a tear in the labrum.
What are the treatment options for Labral Tear?
The treatment for labral tear depends upon the type of tear experienced by the patient. The first type of labral tear which is caused due to dislocation of the shoulder, labrum has to reattached to the socket using arthroscopic techniques
The second type of labral tears where the labrum is frayed doesn’t generally require any treatment since there are symptoms. In case the labral tear is large, the torn labrum is either cut out, trimmed or repaired by the orthopaedic or joint replacement surgeon. The labral tears of the third type where the bicep tendon injury results in labral tear repair are treated by reattached the tendon using the orthoscopic procedure by making an incision near the shoulder joint.
The best joint replacement surgeon in Surat, Dr. Chirag Patel has helped treat hundreds of labral tear cases with orthoscopic procedures and he can help you too. If you live in and around Surat and are suffering from labral tears, you are advised to contact Dr Chirag Patel at his Joints and Sports Clinic in Surat here @Call +91 7574887777