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Elite professional goalkeepers report high rate of sport resumption after shoulder surgery

  • SHOULDER
  • Published:
Knee Surgery, Sports Traumatology, Arthroscopy Aims and scope

Abstract

Purpose

The aim of this study is to evaluate the return to sport after surgical treatment of shoulder injuries in professional goalkeepers in relationship with the mechanism of injury and the pattern of related shoulder lesions.

Methods

Twenty-six shoulders in nineteen elite male professional soccer goalkeepers were retrospectively analyzed considering multiple diseases (instability, rotator cuff, biceps or other tendon injuries). Data was collected for injury modality and context, pathological findings, surgical procedures, time, level of return to sport, and complications.

Results

The mechanism of injury was “mild trauma without contact” in 46% of the cases and 54% of injuries happened during training. 11 patients (42%) reported multiple pattern lesions and 9 patients (35%) classic anterior instability lesions. The mean time for return to differentiated training and unrestricted sport activity was 14 and 20.2 weeks, respectively. 15 athletes (62.5%) reported 100% return to sport, 4 (16.7%) to 90%, 1 (4.2%) to 85%, 3 (12.5%) to 80% and 1 athlete to 50%, stopping professional activity. 21% of the cases reported the persistence of some shoulder symptoms. 3 cases experienced a new injury. Patients with classic anterior instability had significantly lower age (30.7 vs 19.8 years, P = 0.001), experienced injury in different context and reported symptoms more frequently compared to multiple lesion patients (4/8 vs 0/10, P = 0.011).

Conclusion

Professional elite goalkeepers which required shoulder surgery for different causes demonstrated high-rate level of return to play despite the persistence of mild symptoms. The high frequency of multiple lesions, patients’ characteristics, injury context and mechanism, increase the concern for injuries in overstressed shoulder for this category of sport.

Level of evidence

IV.

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Funding

No outside funding or financial support was received to undertake this study.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Via Rita Levi Montalcini 4, Pieve Emanuele, 20090, Milan, Italy

    Alessandro Castagna & Riccardo Ranieri

  2. Shoulder and Elbow Unit, Department of Orthopedic and Trauma Surgery, Humanitas Clinical and Research Center, IRCCS, via Manzoni 56, Rozzano, 20089, Milan, Italy

    Alessandro Castagna, Raffaele Garofalo & Marco Conti

  3. Knee Orthopedic and Sports Traumatology Unit, Humanitas Clinical and Research Center, IRCCS, via Manzoni 56, Rozzano, 20089, Milan, Italy

    Piero Volpi

  4. FC Internazionale Milano, Milan, Italy

    Piero Volpi

  5. Department of Orthopedic and Traumatology, Casilino Hospital, Via Casilina 1049, 00169, Rome, Italy

    Enrico Ceccarelli

  6. Shoulder and Sport Medicine Unit, Miulli Hospital, Strada Prov. 127 Acquaviva, Santeramo Km, 4, 100, Acquaviva delle Fonti, 70021, Bari, Italy

    Raffaele Garofalo

Authors
  1. Alessandro Castagna
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  2. Riccardo Ranieri
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  3. Piero Volpi
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  4. Enrico Ceccarelli
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  5. Raffaele Garofalo
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  6. Marco Conti
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Riccardo Ranieri.

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Conflict of interest

None of the authors have a potential conflict of interest to declare.

Ethical approval

Ethical review board approval by the IRCCS Independent Ethics Committee (IRB number 39/20/27.05.2020) was granted prior to commencement of the study.

Informed consent

All patients gave their informed consent for participation in the study.

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Castagna, A., Ranieri, R., Volpi, P. et al. Elite professional goalkeepers report high rate of sport resumption after shoulder surgery. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc 29, 3943–3950 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00167-021-06637-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00167-021-06637-1

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