LOSS OF EXTERNAL ROTATION FOLLOWING ANTERIOR CAPSULORRHAPHY OF THE SHOULDER

A retrospective study was performed on twenty shoulders in nineteen pa tients who had been managed for severe loss of external rotation of th e glenohumeral joint after a previous anterior capsulorrhaphy for recu rrent instability. All patients had noted a restricted range of motion , and seventeen shoulders had been painful. In seven shoulders, the hu meral head had been subluxated or dislocated posteriorly, and sixteen shoulders had been affected by mild to severe glenohumeral osteoarthro sis. All twenty shoulders were treated with a reoperation, which consi sted of a release of the anterior soft tissue. In addition, eight shou lders had a total arthroplasty and one had a hemiarthroplasty. At an a verage duration of follow-up of forty-eight months, all shoulders had an improvement in the ratings for pain and range of motion. The averag e increase in external rotation was 45 degrees (range, 25 to 65 degree s). Patients who have a major loss of external rotation following ante rior capsulorrhaphy of the shoulder may be at risk for the development of posterior subluxation and glenohumeral osteoarthrosis. The perform ance of an anterior release should be considered for these patients.