Arthroscopic Bankart Repair Versus Nonoperative Treatment for Acute, Initial Anterior Shoulder Dislocations

A prospective study evaluating nonoperative treatment versus arthroscopic Bankart suture repair for acute, initial dislocation of the shoulder was undertaken in young athletes. All patients met the following criteria: 1) sustained an acute first-time traumatic anterior dislocation, 2) no history of impingement or occult subluxation, 3) the dislocation required a manual reduction, and 4) no concomitant neurologic injury. Thirty-six athletes (average age, 20 years) met the criteria for inclusion. Group I patients were immobilized for 1 month followed by rehabilitation; they were allowed full activity at 4 months. Group II patients underwent arthroscopic Bankart repair followed by the same protocol as Group I. Group I consisted of 15 athletes. Twelve patients (80%) developed recurrent instability; 7 of the 12 have required open Bankart repair for recurrent instability. Group II consisted of 21 patients; 18 patients (86%) had no recurrent instability at last followup (average, 32 months; range, 15 to 45) (P = 0.001). One patient in Group II has required a subsequent open Bankart repair to treat symptomatic recurrence (P = 0.005). In this study, arthroscopic Bankart repair significantly reduced the recurrence rate in young athletes who sustained an acute, initial anterior dislocation of the shoulder.