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Posterior Shoulder Instability

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Shoulder Arthroscopy

Abstract

Posterior shoulder instability has increasingly been identified as a cause of functional impairment and pain of the shoulder. The ABC classification gives a simple yet comprehensive classification of PSI with clear etiological differences and therapeutic relevance. It distinguishes acute first-time posterior subluxation (A1) or dislocation (A2) from recurrent dynamic posterior instability of functional (B1) or structural origin (B2), as well as from constitutional (C1) or acquired static posterior shoulder instability (C2). The ABC classification serves as an additional tool for clinicians to improve the understanding, diagnosis, and therapy when treating patients with posterior shoulder instability. In general, type A1, B1, and C1 instability should first be treated conservatively while in type A2, B2, and C2 surgery may be considered. The final treatment decision between conservative versus operative management of patients with PSI should be made on a case-by-case scenario based on the etiology and structural defects and of course while keeping in mind patient-specific factors (i.e., activity level).

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Moroder, P., Danzinger, V., Akgün, D. (2023). Posterior Shoulder Instability. In: Milano, G., Grasso, A., Brzóska, R., Kovačič, L. (eds) Shoulder Arthroscopy. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-66868-9_17

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-66868-9_17

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