Shoulder instability: from first dislocation to treatment decisions
About this collection
This free collection brings together medpresso materials on shoulder instability in a suggested order: two webinars, two reviews from the guidelines section and a scientific article review. The path moves from the nerve injuries that can accompany an anterior dislocation, through the clinical and imaging assessment of bone loss in recurrent anterior instability and the management of subcritical glenoid bone loss, to the diagnosis and treatment of posterior instability. Each item is a separate material on the platform: open it from the list below. Certificates, where available, are issued for each item.
Learning path
Follow the materials in order or open any item directly. The note under each title explains what it adds to the path.
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Anterior shoulder dislocation with nerve injuries
(Webinar · 22 min · Free)
Start here: a webinar by Jean Noël Goubier, MD, on brachial plexus injuries after anterior shoulder dislocation, which are rare but among its most serious complications. It covers the axillary nerve as the nerve most often injured and how the position of the limb at the time of dislocation relates to the site of nerve damage, with case examples. -
Clinical and radiological examination of bony-mediated shoulder instability
(Guideline · Free)
Assessing recurrent anterior instability: an EFORT Open Reviews review (Stefaniak et al., 2020) of risk factors for recurrence in the history, examination signs such as the bony apprehension test, and imaging from radiographs to CT with 3D reconstruction and MRI. It shows how to quantify glenoid and humeral head defects and judge whether a Hill–Sachs lesion is on or off the glenoid track. -
Imaging shoulder instability
(Article review · Free)
Imaging in detail: a review of Baudi et al., The Open Orthopaedics Journal 2017, on imaging the unstable shoulder. MRI (at least 1.5 T) is the main tool for soft-tissue lesions, and MR arthrography finds injuries plain MRI can miss, such as SLAP lesions; it is not needed in acute cases, where effusion and haemarthrosis act as contrast. 3D CT assesses glenoid defects and, viewed en face, is the gold standard for Hill–Sachs lesions. -
Subcritical shoulder bone loss - how to manage?
(Webinar · 14 min · Free)
From measurement to treatment: a webinar by Alberto Guevara, MD, on glenoid bone loss in recurrent anterior instability. “Subcritical” loss is generally taken as 10–20%, and the webinar discusses the debated options for managing patients in this range. -
Diagnosis and treatment of posterior shoulder instability based on the ABC classification
(Guideline · Free)
The other direction: an EFORT Open Reviews 2024 instructional lecture on posterior instability, which accounts for 2–12% of instability cases and up to 24% of young, active patients treated surgically. It uses the ABC classification of first-time, dynamic and static types and sets out the clinical tests, imaging and when conservative treatment or surgery is recommended.
Keep learning
Every item in this collection stays available on its own page. Certificates, where offered, are issued per item, and you can find them all in your account. To explore more, browse all medpresso materials on the musculoskeletal system.