The Labrum List

I first remember hearing about a torn labrum when Sammy Hewitt at UNC was out with the problem. Since my son has had it, I seem to be hearing about it with more frequency. Does anyone know about its occurance rate as compared to Tommy John? Here is a list of kids that I know who have recently been diagnosed with, or had surgery to repair, a torn labrum:

Carter Harrell-Rocky Mount/UNC/ECU
Rob Wooten-CB Aycock/UNC
Ryan Wood-ECU
Shawn Armstrong-West Craven/ECU
Mac Williamson-WFR/Wake Forest
Daniel Marrs-Richmond,Va./Wake Forest
Jacob Dixon-Roanake Rapids/Tusculum
Bryce Grady-North Lenoir/Campbell
Zach Woodley-Northern Nash/Pitt CC
Drew Davis-Tarboro
Alex Litaker-East Rowan

Any others?

 

FYI Slap Tear

Most common in baseball players. Here is some good info. It is a couple of pages long. Good reading & good post.

 

Labral tears are often caused by a direct injury to the shoulder, such as falling on an outstretched hand. The labrum can also become torn from the wear and tear of activity, a condition called overuse. An injured labrum can lead to shoulder instability. The extra motion of the humerus within the socket causes additional damage to the labrum. An extremely unstable shoulder may slip or dislocate. This can also cause the labrum to tear.

 

S#1,

I suspect the increased availability of labral repair surgery, better information available to the general public about what a labral tear is and better diagnostic techniques have something to do with the sharp rise in labrum surgery. Once upon a time, these players simply quit the game because it was too painful to throw or their velocity dropped and their effectiveness waned. There were relatively few doctors trained to perform surgery to repair a torn labrum until recently and the cost was prohibitive. Now we see players having the surgery instead of giving up their dreams. Of course there is also the argument that year-round play, multiple teams, showcase, etc. are taking a toll on our kids' arms and there are simply more labrum injuries than there used to be.


The doctor who operated on Mac told us of a study a couple of years ago involving minor league pitchers. Several hundred pitchers in A ball to Triple A were randomly selected and asked to submit to an MRI; some had minor pain off and on, some had never had pain or noticed any change in their effectiveness as pitchers. The common denominator (other than being a pitcher) was that none of them were currently characterized as “injured.” The results of those MRIs were pretty stunning – 85% showed damage to the pitcher’s labrum in the form of a tear or fraying. It seems to be unavoidable for pitchers. It’s difficult to say why some can continue to pitch with a tear without any affect on their game and others are debilitated by it. It is believed that those who do eventually have the surgery have been pitching for some time with a tear. In other words, it is not a sudden-onset injury for pitchers (as would be the case for say, an outfielder, who falls on an outstretched arm, as Braves described). For pitchers, it is a cumulative injury.

By the way, 95% of Roger Clemens 354 wins came after his surgery for a torn labrum in 1985 at the age of 22.

As far as your question about which is more common. My guess is elbow (TJ) surgery is far more common. It also has a higher success rate.

 

Simple

Roids.

 

I blame transfers

 

My research indicates that everyone of these guys played alot of Nintendo. Coincidence? I think not.

 

Agree Braves

This is leading to a rash of outfielders & infielders driving for balls trying to throw the runner out at home from deep in the outfield. Infields overthrowing to get quicker to throw a runner out. Playing multiple games over the year without a rehab(rest) period. It is just shameful. Just shameful.

 

Mind has gone

Sorry forgot the link again.

http://orthopedics.about.com/cs/generalshoulder/a/slap.htm



What are the common types of labral tears?
The most common patterns of labral tears are:

• SLAP Tears
  A SLAP tear is a type of labral tear most commonly seen in overhead throwing athletes such as baseball players and tennis players. The torn labrum seen in a SLAP tear is at the top of the shoulder socket where the biceps tendon attaches to the shoulder.
• Bankart Lesions
  A Bankart lesion is a labral tear that occurs when a shoulder dislocates. When the shoulder comes out of joint, the labrum is torn, and makes the shoulder more susceptible to future dislocations.
• Posterior Labral Tears
  Posterior labral tears are less common, but sometimes seen in athletes in a condition called internal impingement. In this syndrome, the rotator cuff and labrum are pinched together in the back of the shoulder.