Purpose: To report the return to sports and recurrence rates in competitive soccer players after arthroscopic capsulolabral repair using knotless suture anchors at a minimum of 5 years of follow-up.
Methods: All competitive soccer players with anterior glenohumeral instability treated by arthroscopic capsulolabral repair using knotless suture anchors between 2002 and 2009 were retrospectively identified through the medical records. Inclusion criteria were: no previous surgical treatment of the involved shoulder, absence of glenoid or tuberosity fractures, absence of large Hill-Sachs or glenoid bone defect, minimum follow-up of 5 years, instability during soccer practice or games, and failure of non-surgical treatment. The charts of included players were reviewed, and a phone call was performed in a cross-sectional manner to obtain information on: current soccer, return to soccer, recurrence of instability, shoulder function (Rowe score), and disability [Quick-Disability of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (DASH) score and Quick-DASH Sports/Performing Arts Module].
Results: Fifty-seven young male soccer players were finally included with a median (range) follow-up of 8 (5-10) years. Forty-nine (86 %) of the soccer players were able to return to soccer and 36 of them (73 %) at the same pre-injury level. There were 6 (10.5 %) re-dislocations in the 57 players, all of them of traumatic origin produced during soccer and other unrelated activities. The main reasons to not return to soccer were: knee injuries (two players), changes in personal life (two players), and job-related (three players). None of the players quit playing soccer because of their shoulder instability injury. The median (range) Rowe score, Quick-DASH score, and Quick-DASH sports score were 80 (25-100), 2.3 (0-12.5), and 0 (0-18.8), respectively.
Conclusions: Competitive soccer players undergoing arthroscopic capsulolabral repair with knotless suture anchors for shoulder instability without significant bone loss demonstrate excellent return to play at mid-to-long-term follow-up, with a 10.5 % chances of re-dislocating.
Level of evidence: IV.
Keywords: Knotless suture anchor; Return to sports; Shoulder instability; Soccer.