Editorial Commentary: Natural History of Shoulder Dislocation-Is Recurrence Our Only Metric?

Abstract

The natural history of a traumatic anterior glenohumeral dislocation has been the subject of significant study, often with differing results depending on the population studied. Most studies have focused on recurrent dislocation as the primary outcome of interest, whereas metrics such as subluxation, return to athletics, and patient-reported outcome scores are also available in limited studies. The known risk factors for recurrence include young age and male gender. Surgical stabilization should be considered in populations at higher risk of recurrence and has been shown in Level I studies to result in reduction of recurrence and improvement in patient-reported outcomes.