Clinical Outcomes Affecting Return to Play Following Latarjet Procedure in Young Contact and Limited Contact Athletes

Background: Several studies have examined return to play (RTP) and outcomes following the Latarjet procedure in contact athletes.

Purpose: To investigate clinical outcomes affecting RTP following the Latarjet procedure in contact athletes.

Study design: Case series; Level of evidence, 4.

Methods: A total of 67 contact athletes (72 shoulders) ≤35 years old who underwent Latarjet procedure for recurrent shoulder instability between January 1, 2018, and March 31, 2022, were retrospectively identified. Demographic information, medical history, surgical history, number of dislocations before surgery, and postoperative complications up to 6 months after surgery were reviewed. Outcomes evaluated included RTP, competition level, satisfaction, and patient-reported outcomes including visual analog scale for pain, American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) Score, and Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) scores.

Results: There were a total of 67 patients (72 shoulders) included in the study with a mean age at surgery of 19.7 years for all shoulders. Of the total cohort, 46 patients (50 shoulders; [69.4%]) were available for follow-up by phone. Of the 46 patients contacted by phone, 22/46 were football players; 30/50 [60.0% of all shoulders]) were contact athletes and 19/46 [41.3%] limited contact athletes) were interviewed with a mean follow-up of 25.5 months (range, 10-49 months). Of 72 patients, 22 (30.6% of shoulders and 32.8% of patients) patients had prior shoulder surgery, most commonly arthroscopic stabilization. Only 1 patient experienced hardware failure, but this did not require reoperation. Sixteen of 46 (35%) athletes competed at the collegiate level, and 24/46 (52%) were high school athletes at the time of surgery; 34 of 46 patients (74%) returned to play, of which 30 of the 34 (88%) returned to playing at the same competition level; 15 of 22 (68%) football players returned to play. Only 4 of 51 (8%) reported subjective recurrent instability. Postoperative mean ASES score was 92.2, DASH score was 5.6, and visual analog scale for pain score was 4 (range, 0-50). A total of 43 of 46 (93%) patients reported improvement in quality of life after undergoing the Latarjet procedure for shoulder instability. Eight of 72 (11.1%) shoulders had unresolved pain or stiffness 6 months postoperatively, and 2 of 72 (2.8%) required revisions.

Conclusion: Patient RTP, outcomes, and satisfaction were high following the Latarjet procedure in young contact athletes.