Bankart Repair

Overview

Bankart Repair is a surgical procedure that helps to repair the ligaments in the shoulder. When the shoulder bends out of place or dislocates, ligaments can tear and need to be repaired. The procedure itself uses arthroscopy, which results in a smoother, faster, and less painful recovery period.

Anatomy

The shoulder provides more motion than any other joint in the human body and is a marvel of mobility and stability. When you move your shoulder, the ball of the shoulder head (humeral head) remains centered in the socket of the joint (glenoid). The glenoid’s purpose is to offer stability to the shoulder. The ligament restraint within the shoulder also helps with stability and keeps the shoulder from moving beyond its range of motion. The rotator cuff holds everything together using concavity compression, which works like a golf ball being held in place by the concavity of a golf tee.

Description

When the arm is forced backward, the glenoid and ligaments can tear, causing the ball of the shoulder head to dislocate from the glenoid. The most common form of ligament injury is known as the Bankart lesion, which is when the ligaments are torn from the front of the socket. If the ligaments and glenoid do not heal, the shoulder loses stability. To fix this instability and discomfort, the ligaments and glenoid will need to be repaired. This repair is known as the Bankart Repair.

Symptoms

Bankart Repair is considered for people with:

• A feeling of the joint being unstable.
• Dislocations occurring repeatedly.
• Catching sensations.
• Aching of the shoulder.
• A feeling that the shoulder may dislocate again.

Diagnosis

Your Florida Orthopaedic Institute physician will take a look at your symptoms and medical history to help determine if you have actually torn your shoulder ligaments and need the Bankart Repair. Your physician may also order X-rays to determine if any of the joint space has been lost.

Surgical Procedure

This procedure uses a small camera known as an arthroscope, to repair the detached or torn ligaments with sutures and small bone anchors. Since this procedure uses an arthroscope, the incisions will be much smaller than in traditional surgery, resulting in a faster, less painful, recovery time.

Next Steps

Contact your Florida Orthopaedic Institute physician for more information.