Arthroscopic soft-tissue repair of a torn anteroinferior labrum
Bankart repair is the arthroscopic reattachment of an avulsed anteroinferior labrum and inferior glenohumeral ligament back to the glenoid rim, usually with suture anchors, restoring the labral bumper and capsular tension lost after anterior shoulder dislocation.
It shapes the return-to-sport conversation and rehab timeline after a first or recurrent dislocation, and it flags who needs closer surveillance: patients with more than minimal glenoid bone loss are poor candidates because redislocation risk after soft-tissue repair rises sharply in that group, so imaging-based bone loss assessment should precede any rehab planning built around this procedure.
Selection relies on advanced imaging (CT or MR arthrogram) to quantify glenoid bone loss and confirm the labral lesion pattern before surgery; postoperatively, clinicians track it through staged rehab protocols with sling immobilisation, graded range-of-motion restoration, rotator cuff and scapular strengthening, and criteria-based return-to-sport testing rather than a fixed timeline.
Redislocation risk climbs when bone loss is underestimated or when the repair is used in contact/collision athletes or hyperlaxity patients who are better served by a bony procedure such as Latarjet; rushing return to sport before capsulolabral healing and adequate strength/control are demonstrated is a common driver of failure.
This guide was auto-drafted and is pending editorial review.