Over the past few years, various studies have reported wide-ranging return to play rates, between 48% to 100%, following arthroscopic shoulder stabilization surgery. Researchers recently looked at athletes who underwent this surgery to learn why some athletes struggle to return to play.
Interviews were conducted with patients aged 18 to 40 years who had undergone primary arthroscopic shoulder stabilization and had a minimum 2-year follow-up. All patients participated in sports before surgery. A total of 25 patients were interviewed, revealing that fear of reinjury, shifts in priority, mood, social support, and self-motivation were found to greatly influence the decision to return to sports both in patients who had and had not returned to their preinjury level of play. Patients also described fear of sporting incompetence, self-awareness issues, recommendations from physical therapists, and degree of confidence as less common considerations affecting their return to sport.
Source: American Journal of Sports Medicine, 2015
