A longitudinal study of patients with multidirectional instability of the shoulder with seven- to ten-year follow-up

The purpose of our study was to evaluate the long-term outcomes of patients with multidirectional instability of the shoulder initially treated with rehabilitation exercises. Sixty-four patients were treated for atraumatic multidirectional instability of the shoulder between 1987 and 1990. Preliminary evaluation was performed 2 years after initiation of treatment, and final evaluation of the patients was performed at a mean of 8 years after initiation of treatment. At the preliminary evaluation, 5 patients were lost to follow-up. Of the remaining 59 patients, 20 had undergone surgical treatment for stabilization of their shoulder. Of the 39 nonsurgically treated patients, 19 continued to have significant pain, and 18 continued to have significant instability of their shoulder. Of the 59 patients, 28 subjectively rated their shoulder condition as better or much better after conservative treatment. At the final evaluation, 2 more patients were lost to follow-up, and 1 additional patient had had surgical treatment. Thus, of the 57 patients available for final follow-up, 36 had received nonsurgical care, and 21 had undergone surgical treatment. Of the 36 nonsurgically treated patients, 23 rated their shoulders as good or excellent with regard to pain, and 17 were good or excellent with regard to instability. By the modified Rowe grading scale, 5 of 36 patients had excellent results, and 12 had good results. The remaining 19 patients were rated as having poor results. Only 8 patients reported that their shoulders were free of all pain and instability. Overall, of the entire group of 57 patients evaluated between 7 and 10 years after initiation of care, 17 had a satisfactory outcome from nonsurgical management based on stability and Rowe scores, 23 had good or excellent results with regard to pain, and 20 subjectively rated their shoulders as good or excellent. This review revealed a relatively poor response to nonsurgical treatment of multidirectional instability in this population of young, athletic patients.