2000 Volume 24 Issue 3 Pages 337-339
There are a few reports about the natural history of positional posterior instability of the shoulder. The purpose of this study is to investigate the clinical cutcomes of treated positional posterior instability of the shoulder non-operatively by questionnaire.
From 1983 to 1996,9 patients who were diagnosed with positional posterior instability of the shoulder were evaluated by questionnaire. Diagnosis of the positional posterior instability of the shoulder was evaluated by the method described by Rockwood. There were 3 females and 6 males. The averaged age was 21.2 years old ranging from 14 to 31 years old. Sulcus sign is positive in 3 cases, and in 2 of them anterior and posterior drawer test is positive. All cases were given physical therapy including rotator cuff exercise. Shoulder instability, pain and restriction of daily and sports activities were investigated. The average follow-up period was 79 months ranging from 59 to 104 months. In 3 cases, shoulder instability improved after 1.1 years from the first visit to our hospital and had disappeared after 4.2 years. They continued physical therapy averaged 26.6 months, while 6 cases whose symptoms was not improved continued it averaged 9.5 months. Shoulder instability did not improve in 3 cases who had shoulder joint laxity evaluated by sulcus sign, anterior and posterior drawer test. Restriction of daily activities remained in 4 cases. Restriction of sports activities continued in 2 cases. On the basis of these outcomes, patients who had positional posterior instability of the shoulder were treated with physical therapy, such as rotator cuff exercise for 1 year before surgical treatment.
