COPYRIGHT © 2002 BY THE JOURNAL OF BONE AND JOINT SURGERY, INCORPORATED Surgical Treatment of Traumatic Anterior Shoulder Instability in American Football Players

Background: American football players have been reported to be at high risk for postoperative instability after arthroscopic stabilization of anterior shoulder instability. While some authors have recommended open meth-ods of stabilization in athletes who play contact sports, there are few data in the literature showing more favor-able results with use of an open technique. We reviewed the results of an open technique of anterior shoulder stabilization in fifty-eight American football players after a minimum of two years of follow-up. Methods: Fifty-eight American football players underwent open stabilization with use of a standardized tech-nique for the treatment of recurrent anterior shoulder instability. Forty-seven patients had recurrent disloca-tions, and the remaining eleven had recurrent subluxations. The average age of the patients was 18.2 years, and the average duration of follow-up was thirty-seven months. Patients were evaluated according to the shoul-der scoring system of the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons and with use of the shoulder instability score described by Rowe and Zarins. Results: There were no postoperative dislocations. Postoperative subluxation occurred in two patients, neither of whom had had a dislocation prior to the operation. Forward flexion and external rotation returned to within 5° of those of the contralateral shoulder in forty-nine patients. The average score according to the system of the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons was 97.0 points, and the average Rowe and Zarins score was 93.