Return to performance after a shoulder surgery

Shoulder injuries are common in sports involving high demands on the upper limb. Although often caused by microtrauma, some of these injuries require surgical treatment and may keep athletes away from sport for variable periods of time.

Within the rehabilitation continuum, and in order to determine whether an athlete is ready to cope with the demands of return to sport, it is essential to rely on well-defined and scientifically validated criteria.

At present, numerous tests and assessment tools are available for the shoulder to evaluate mobility, strength, endurance, proprioception, and apprehension in these athletes. These include measurements of joint range of motion, isometric or isokinetic assessment of shoulder rotator strength, functional testing, and the use of questionnaires such as the Shoulder Instability–Return to Sport after Injury (SIRSI).

However, to date, no test battery has been validated to guide return to sport after shoulder surgery. Moreover, few researchers have focused on identifying criteria that could ensure a return to a level of performance comparable to that achieved prior to injury.

Therefore, the primary objective of this study was to determine whether clinical assessment criteria can predict an athlete’s return to a performance level similar to that before injury. To this end, athletes practicing upper-limb–dominant sports and who have undergone surgery for shoulder instability will be followed for a period of 24 months.

The results of this study will be shared on this page soon.