Purpose To evaluate return‐to‐competition rates, posterior shoulder instability recurrences, and revision surgeries following arthroscopic posterior labral repair in this elite cohort. Methods A retrospective review of prospectively collected data included professional contact athletes undergoing primary arthroscopic posterior labral repair by a single surgeon (June 2016 to February 2024). Inclusion required age ≥18, active professional status at surgery, and minimum 12‐month follow‐up. Patients with concomitant cuff repairs or bony procedures were excluded. Outcomes included return‐to‐competition (defined as the first postoperative professional game), time to return‐to‐competition, instability recurrence, games per season, and career longevity using public performance data. Results Seventeen professional male contact‐sport athletes (mean age 24 ± 3.7 years) met inclusion criteria. Ten were National Hockey League hockey players and 7 were National Football League football players. All (100%) returned to their pre‐injury level at a median of 173 days (range 89‐370 days). At mean follow‐up of 45 ± 22.9 months, 1 athlete experienced recurrent instability, which was managed nonoperatively. No athlete retired postoperatively. Fourteen of 17 played more games per season following surgery, with a mean increase of 26.6% ± 21.8%. Conclusions Arthroscopic posterior labral repair is a highly effective surgical intervention for restoring shoulder stability and enabling a reliable return to play among professional contact‐sport athletes. In this cohort of elite‐level, professional competitors, most athletes returned to their pre‐injury level of competition and continued playing without issue, with only 1 case of recurrent instability that did not require revision surgery at a minimum 1‐year follow‐up. Level of Evidence Level IV, retrospective therapeutic case series.
Jaber et al. (2026) studied this question.