Causes | Symptoms | Diagnosis | Treatment
Your shoulder is one of the most important and complex joints in your body, with three different bones—the scapula (shoulder blade), humerus (upper arm, and clavicle (collarbone)—working together in a ball-and-socket joint. At the location where the socket component of the scapula attaches to the humerus is a piece of soft tissue, called a labrum, that provides cushioning as the different bones move. When the labrum tears, you can experience significant pain as the bones rub against each other. One specific type of labrum tear is referred to as a SLAP tear.
What Is a SLAP Tear?
The acronym SLAP stands for “superior labrum anterior and posterior.” The superiorpart of your labrum attaches to your biceps tendon. Anterior refers to the front of the labrum and posterior refers to the back. Accordingly, a SLAP tear is one where the part of the labrum connected to your biceps tendon is torn at the front and back.
What Causes a SLAP Tear?
Three factors generally cause or contribute to a SLAP tear:
- Traumatic injury—Any event that puts sudden, undue pressure on your shoulder can cause a SLAP tear. For example, you may put your arm out to brace yourself during a car crash and suffer a SLAP tear from the collision with the dashboard. A SLAP tear also can result from a fall, contact sports, or other trauma.
- Overuse—Engaging in activities that put your shoulder through the same motion over and over can cause the labrum to slowly deteriorate.
- Normal wear and tear—Because your shoulder gets used so much, your labrum can break down with age.
How to Know If You Have a SLAP Tear
You won’t necessarily experience chronic pain with a SLAP tear. Typically, you’ll feelthe tear only when using your shoulder for certain types of activities, such as reaching overhead or throwing. Other symptoms of a SLAP tear include loss of strength or range of motion, a catching or grinding feeling in your shoulder, and general instability in your shoulder joint.
Your doctor may preliminarily diagnose a SLAP tear with a physical exam, but you’ll need an MRI for a definitive diagnosis. An X-ray won’t show your labrum.
Treating a SLAP Tear
Causes | Symptoms | Diagnosis | Treatment
A SLAP tear may or may not require surgery, depending on the severity. Typically, your doctor will start by prescribing anti-inflammatory drugs, as well as physical therapy to strengthen the muscles in your shoulder. If that’s ineffective, you may need a surgical procedure to trim or reattach the labrum. That procedure is customarily done arthroscopically.
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