The labrum is a thin piece of cartilage in the shoulder that is rigid and fibrous. The labrum has two functions. The first is to keep the "ball" or head of the humerus in place and the other main job for the labrum is to keep structures and tissues around the shoulder together.
Labral tears usually involve trauma to the shoulder of some sort, either by dislocation or fractures. The labrum usually will not heal in the right location on its' own.
Imaging of the shoulder for labral tears includes either a CT or MRI arthrogram. This test requires a radiologist to inject contrast media into the bursa prior to either the CT or MRI. Both tests are fairly accurate but can miss small tears. This is why surgery is often required for this condition. If MRI/CT demonstrates a tear then it will always be present during surgery. However, if the tear is not complete or "frayed", sometimes surgery isn't necessary.
Recovery is good post op, however it can take up to 6 weeks for the labrum to recover.
Labral tears usually involve trauma to the shoulder of some sort, either by dislocation or fractures. The labrum usually will not heal in the right location on its' own.
Imaging of the shoulder for labral tears includes either a CT or MRI arthrogram. This test requires a radiologist to inject contrast media into the bursa prior to either the CT or MRI. Both tests are fairly accurate but can miss small tears. This is why surgery is often required for this condition. If MRI/CT demonstrates a tear then it will always be present during surgery. However, if the tear is not complete or "frayed", sometimes surgery isn't necessary.
Recovery is good post op, however it can take up to 6 weeks for the labrum to recover.
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