What happens if you don't fix a torn labrum?

Without proper treatment and physical rehabilitation, SLAP injuries can cause chronic stiffness, pain, and weakness in the affected arm. Many labral tears can also lead to joint degeneration, which will just cause you more pain in the long run.

Can you live with torn labrum?

Do You Need Surgery to Repair a Torn Labrum? Most often, the answer is No! There are many conservative treatment options that allow you to fully participate in your activities without requiring surgery.

Can you recover from a labrum tear without surgery?

Physical or Occupational Therapy

Shoulder labral tears may require up to six weeks of therapy to gradually strengthen the shoulder, arm, and back muscles. Strengthening surrounding muscles helps to unload stress placed on the labrum, allowing it to heal.

Is a torn labrum a big deal?

A torn labrum can cause intense shoulder pain, joint instability in the shoulder, and even shoulder dislocation. Likewise, a shoulder dislocation—along with other shoulder traumas—can cause a labrum tear. The shoulder joint is best imagined as a golf ball (the humeral head) that is placed into a socket.

Can labrum tears get worse?

But labrum tears are another cause of shoulder pain, and without prompt medical treatment, your symptoms and your injury can become much worse.

What happens if your shoulder labral tear goes untreated

Is labral tear surgery worth it?

Surgery is not always required or recommended for a labrum tear. A person's age, the extent of the injury, and overall hip health are factors to consider. Surgery is not typically recommended for people ages 40 and up. This is because a hip labrum tear is often an early sign of arthritis.

Can I still workout with a torn labrum?

Exercises that stretch and strengthen the shoulder have been shown to effectively decrease pain and disability. Consult your doctor, however, before taking on any exercise regimen if you have a labral tear in your shoulder.

Is labrum repair a major surgery?

Labrum repair is major surgery with serious risks and potential complications. You may have less invasive treatment options.

Can a partially torn labrum get worse?

When this happens, the labral tissue may start to tear. If the tear gets worse, it may become a flap of tissue that can move in and out of the joint, getting caught between the head of the humerus and the glenoid. The flap can cause pain and catching when you move your shoulder.

How fragile is a labrum repair?

Labral repair is somewhat fragile in the early stages of postop healing, and therefore recovery is longer and slower than labral debridement. What happens if my labral tear is not repairable? In most cases, the torn labrum is repairable.

How long can a torn labrum last?

The recovery depends upon many factors, such as where the tear was located, how severe it was and how good the surgical repair was. It is believed that it takes at least four to six weeks for the labrum to reattach itself to the rim of the bone, and probably another four to six weeks to get strong.

Is labrum repair surgery painful?

You might have some pain and discomfort after the surgery. Ice packs and pain medication should help relieve both. Your shoulder might feel stiff. Your healthcare provider might recommend light exercises or physical therapy to help you strengthen your shoulder.

How long do you stay in the hospital after labrum surgery?

You may have to stay in the hospital for two to five days. After surgery for acetabular labral tears, some patients remain in the hospital for as long as two to five days. Nurses typically apply a fresh bandage on the first post–operative day.

How painful is a torn labrum?

If you have a labrum tear you may experience pain, catching, popping, or a clunk feeling with shoulder range of motion. It is also common to feel discomfort at night, pain when reaching and loss of range of motion or strength.

What aggravates a labral tear?

Many patients with labral tears describe a constant dull pain with intermittent episodes of sharp pain that worsens with activity. Walking, pivoting, prolonged sitting, and impact activities, such as running, often aggravate symptoms.

What makes a labral tear worse?

The pain usually worsens with walking, pivoting or impact activities such as running. The pain also occurs at night and can be associated with clicking, catching or locking. Labral tears occur in association with a traumatic event such as a motor vehicle accident, a fall or a collision with another player.

What does a small labrum tear feel like?

Many hip labral tears cause no signs or symptoms. Some people, however, have one or more of the following: Pain in the hip or groin, often made worse by long periods of standing, sitting or walking or athletic activity. A locking, clicking or catching sensation in the hip joint.

How long do labrum surgery take?

Surgical debridement or arthroscopic stabilization of a labral tear normally takes two hours to complete. You may be given an interscalene block, also referred to as regional anesthesia, to numb your shoulder and neck area.

How long does surgery for a torn labrum take?

Surgery for a shoulder labral tear usually takes an hour and is an outpatient procedure. Our fellowship-trained, internationally known orthopedic surgeons typically use arthroscopic surgery, also called arthroscopy, which is performed through three or four small incisions, rather than one large open incision.

What is the success rate of labral tear surgery?

What is the labral tear surgery success rate? The success rate for a labral repair ranges from 85% to 95%. The goal is to achieve a shoulder with no pain for lifting, throwing, or overhead activity.

Can labrum grow back?

All patients demonstrated labral regrowth at arthroscopy at 2 years. Homogeneous regrowth of labral height was seen in 21 of 24 patients, with labral scarring noted in four of 24.

Can I bench press with torn labrum?

And like everything else, the labrum degenerates over time. Clicking in your shoulder? It's probably a labral tear. If you have to bench, keep the weight reasonable and don't let your elbows break the plane of your chest.

Can your labrum repair itself?

Yes, a labral tear can heal on its own without surgery. For non-athletes, treatment can often be anti-inflammatory medication, injections, and physical therapy. If you are an athlete looking to get back on the field, your best option will be surgery. Surgery is the best way to make sure that your labrum heals properly.

How often does labrum surgery fail?

Recent studies show that the results for SLAP repairs deteriorate as early as your later 30s. One study showed that in an active population of patients about 1/3 of these surgeries failed in patients over the age of 36.

Do you have to sleep in a chair after labrum surgery?

Sleeping on an incline for 4-6 weeks after surgery is best. For the first week or two, a recliner may be the most comfortable option. Purchasing a 45 degree wedge from a medical supply store can also provide a stable base to prop yourself up in the bed. Wear your sling.