Posterior Shoulder Instability
Posterior Shoulder Instability
What is posterior shoulder instability?
Posterior shoulder instability refers to an inability to keep the shoulder centered in the socket when
doing certain activities. It may present as pain, weakness and/or clunking in the shoulder.
Sometimes the shoulder visibly slips off the back of the socket with movement. The most common
positions that induce symptoms are cross body movements, end of range overhead movements, or
sometimes push ups.
What causes posterior shoulder instability?
Posterior shoulder instability can be either traumatic or non-traumatic in origin. Traumatic refers to
a specific injury/accident that caused it, such as falling heavily on your elbow and causing the
humeral head to violently push backward and damage the back of the shoulder joint (the posterior
labrum), thus creating instability.
Posterior shoulder instability may also be non-traumatic. This population, have underlying
hypermobility in their shoulder which means that their shoulder is naturally (genetically) very
flexible and there was no specific one-off incident that caused it. A hypermobile shoulder may
develop posterior instability if it is exposed to activities and exercises that it is not accustomed to
and cannot control. For example suddenly doing a lot of push ups or overhead activities.
Is it the same as being hypermobile?
No, many people are naturally hypermobile but this is not a bad thing. Being hypermobile in your
shoulders can actually be an advantage in certain sports such as swimming that require extreme
shoulder mobility. Hypermobility is only a problem if your muscles are unable to control it. That is
when we refer to it as instability and it may cause pain or weakness.
How do you treat posterior instability?
Exercises that teach your muscles to control your shoulder’s mobility are the key. People with
posterior non-traumatic shoulder instability often have poor shoulder posture and weak trapezius
and posterior shoulder musculature that is contributing to the instability. Taping can also be very
helpful in providing relief and improving symptoms of instability. A 12-week rehabilitation program
is usually needed to achieve a good result. If all conservative options have been explored and failed,
then surgery may be an option. However, I strongly recommend that you see a physiotherapist
experienced in treating posterior shoulder instability.
In traumatic causes, there is higher likelihood that surgery may be needed as there is likely
anatomical damage that is unlikely to fix itself and may need to repaired to restore your shoulder’s
stability.
Want to know more about Posterior Shoulder Instability? please give us a call at (02) 8411 2050 to find out. At Thornleigh Performance Physiotherapy, we can give you an accurate diagnosis and treatment to help you get back in action as soon as possible. We are conveniently located near Beecroft, Cherrybrook, Hornsby, Normanhurst, Pennant Hills, Waitara, Wahroonga, Westleigh, West Pennant Hills, and West Pymble.