Nonoperative Management of Posterior Shoulder Instability: What Are the Long-Term Clinical Outcomes?

Objective: To report the injury characteristics, radiographic findings, and long-term outcomes of nonoperative management for posterior shoulder instability (PSI).

Design: A retrospective review of 143 patients with PSI using a large geographic database.

Setting: Single county between January 1994 and July 2012.

Patients: A clinical history and diagnosis of PSI, one confirmatory imaging study to support the diagnosis, and a minimum of 5 years follow-up were required for inclusion. Patients with seizure disorders, anterior-only instability, multidirectional instability, and superior labrum from anterior to posterior diagnosis were excluded.

Interventions: Patients with PSI were managed nonoperatively or operatively.

Main Outcome Measures: Pain, recurrent instability, and progression into glenohumeral osteoarthritis at long-term follow-up.

Results: One hundred fifteen patients were identified. Thirty-seven (32%) underwent nonoperative management. Twenty (54%) patients were diagnosed with posterior subluxation, 3 (8%) with a single dislocation, and 7 (19%) with multiple dislocations. Symptomatic progression of glenohumeral arthritis was observed in 8% (3) of patients. Pain improved in 46% (17) of patients and worsened in 19% (7). Recurrent instability and progression to osteoarthritis occurred in 15% (3/20) of patients with a traumatic instability event compared with 0% of atraumatic patients after nonoperative management (P = 0.234). Pain at follow-up was more common in nonoperative than operative patients (P = 0.017).

Conclusions: Nonoperative management is a viable option for many patients with posterior shoulder instability; however, many may continue to have posterior shoulder pain.