Return to Duty After Arthroscopic Bankart Repair in the South Korean Military Population

Background Shoulder instability is a frequent concern in active duty military personnel because of the high physical demands of service. Arthroscopic Bankart repair is commonly employed to address anterior shoulder instability, but there is limited data on return-to-duty outcomes in military cohorts, particularly in the South Korean population. Methods This retrospective study included 30 active duty male soldiers who underwent isolated arthroscopic Bankart repair at a single military hospital. Patients with significant glenoid bone loss, multidirectional instability, or low pre-injury activity level were excluded. Outcomes included return-to-training time, recurrence rate, complications, and patient-reported outcome measures (the Western Ontario Shoulder Instability Index [WOSI], the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons [ASES], QuickDASH, visual analog scale [VAS], Tegner score). Functional outcomes were compared preoperatively and at 1 year postoperatively. Results The mean follow-up duration was 16.2 months. At 1-year postoperatively, 93.3% of patients returned to full military training, and 86.7% resumed their pre-injury activity levels. Significant improvements were observed in VAS (6.2-1.6), ASES (39.0-90.7), QuickDASH (37.3-8.6), and WOSI scores (1478.0-140.6) (all P < .001). Range of motion initially declined at 3 months but recovered to near baseline by 6-12 months. One redislocation (3.3%) and one transient nerve palsy were reported. Conclusion Arthroscopic Bankart repair provides excellent short-term outcomes and facilitates a high return-to-duty rate in South Korean military personnel. With appropriate patient selection and structured rehabilitation, this procedure remains a reliable first-line treatment option for anterior shoulder instability in active duty soldiers. Level of study IV case series