Non-surgical treatment of superior labral tears may allow baseball players to return to their same level of play, according to research presented at the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine's annual meeting in Baltimore. Researchers retrospectively reviewed 119 professional baseball players who had persistent shoulder pain. Sixty-eight patients had MRI-documented SLAP lesions and had failed initial physical therapy. All patients were initially treated non-surgically according to an algorithm focused on correcting the scapular dyskinesia and posterior capsular tightness. Of the 68 subjects with confirmed SLAP lesions, 45 were pitchers. Return to competition appeared to occur at a higher rate for position players than pitchers.
The researchers concluded non-surgical treatment was more often successful than surgery, although they could not explain why non-surgical treatment was more beneficial to one population that the other.
The researchers concluded non-surgical treatment was more often successful than surgery, although they could not explain why non-surgical treatment was more beneficial to one population that the other.
More Articles on Sports Medicine:
Dr. Robert Watkins Performs Surgery on Giants' Freddy Sanchez
Drs. Champ Baker, Stanley James Inducted Into AOSSM Hall of Fame
AOSSM Names Dr. Christopher Harner President