By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    bowl of vegetable salad
    Raw Foods: benefits and harms
    November 9, 2021
    pros and cons of the keto diet
    Read This Before You Follow the Keto Diet
    May 18, 2022
    spinal cord injuries
    4 Potential Causes of Spinal Cord Injuries (and How to Seek Compensation)
    May 25, 2022
    Latest News
    7 Most Common Healthcare Accreditation Programs: Which Should You Use?
    August 20, 2025
    Hospital Pest Control and the Fight Against Superbugs
    August 20, 2025
    Hygiene Beyond The Clinic: Attention To Overlooked Non-Clinical Spaces
    August 13, 2025
    5 Steps to a Promising Career as a Healthcare Administrator
    August 3, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    The Hidden Epidemic of Nursing Home Abuse
    February 16, 2021
    Smiles Make the World Go Around
    August 25, 2017
    Those Pesky Tension Headaches
    September 12, 2017
    Latest News
    How Social Security Disability Shapes Access to Care and Everyday Health
    August 20, 2025
    How a DUI Lawyer Can Help When Your Future Health Feels Uncertain
    August 20, 2025
    How One Fall Can Lead to a Long Road of Medical Complications
    August 20, 2025
    How IT and Marketing Teams Can Collaborate to Protect Patient Trust
    July 17, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: What To Know About Diagnosing And Treating SLAP Injuries
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Specialties > Orthopaedics > What To Know About Diagnosing And Treating SLAP Injuries
Orthopaedics

What To Know About Diagnosing And Treating SLAP Injuries

Howard Luks
Howard Luks
Share
5 Min Read
SHARE

 

Contents
  • SLAP Injuries Are Serious Problems that Should Not Be Ignored
    • Types of Labral Tears
  • Diagnosis of a labral injury
  • How do you treat labral tearing?
  • Final Thoughts: Be Sure To Seek Prompt Treatment

Our shoulder is one of the most important parts of our body. It is also one of the most prone to injury, because it endures so much wear and tear in the day to day. You might think that shoulder deterioration is only a problem that affects athletes, but that is unfortunately not the case. According to doctors and physical therapists all over the country, almost anyone can have problems in the shoulder. These problems may be caused by falls or a repetitive activities that involve raising the arm above the head. If they are not diagnosed and promptly treated, they can develop into SLAP injuries.

SLAP Injuries Are Serious Problems that Should Not Be Ignored

Trauma to your shoulder can lead to a tear in the labrum. This type of injury is a partial break in the cartilage ring that wraps around the base of the shoulder joint and provides stability to the base of the arm. This tear can also occur when you overexert your biceps, since the biceps tendon attaches to the scapula through the labrum.

This condition, also known as SLAP injury, can cause great pain in the upper shoulder, instability in the joint, impaired arm mobility, a sensation that makes you think that the shoulder is slipping out or (in particularly severe cases) a partial or total dislocation of the shoulder.

More Read

ID-100272857
Insurance Verification and Pre-certification: Two Separate Issues
Use The Force: 4 Ways to Improve Orthopedic Service Lines
J and J DePuy Hip Recall Methodologies Touching on Patient Privacy
FDA Asks Manufacturers of Hip Replacements To Study Failure Rates
What You Need To Know About Improving Spine Health

Types of Labral Tears

There are two types of labral tears.

Traumatic labrum tearing

This is a problem that athletes are very prone to developing. There are three main causes of traumatic labrum tearing:

  • The shoulder has been dislocated
  • The labrum was torn by lifting heavy objects
  • You caused instability in the labrum by raising the arms above the head

The risk of traumatic labrum tearing is clearly a lot higher if you are raising heavy objects above your head.

Non-traumatic tearing of the labrum

Non-traumatic labrum tearing is a lot more common in people with great laxity, because they have greater mobility in the shoulder joint. Instability of the joints or muscle weakness often causes the labrum to tear.

Diagnosis of a labral injury

Diagnosing a labral tear is often very difficult. There are often no symptoms at all, especially when it is a small tear that does not cause pain.

To find out if you have a labral tear, your physiotherapist will perform tests that assess the labrum and the stability of the shoulder joint. He or she may also prescribe an MRI. If both tests do not lead to a medical diagnosis, arthroscopic surgery will be necessary. This surgery will determine whether the torn labrum needs to be connected.

How do you treat labral tearing?

Some types of labral tearing may be treated with physical therapy. The physical therapist will primarily intervene when the tear does not cause instability in the shoulder. They will treat you by doing the following:

  • Plan a rehabilitation treatment that restricts certain motions that worsen the SLAP injury and impede healing of the tendon
  • Perform manual therapy to reduce pain and correct your range of motion
  • Show you how to perform exercises to strengthen the shoulder, balance the muscles, reduce pressure on the labrum and stretch.
  • Apply ice to the affected area.

Also, the physiotherapist will help those who have been operated through progressive rehabilitation exercises to prevent the tissues from tearing again.

Final Thoughts: Be Sure To Seek Prompt Treatment

There are a lot of different causes of SLAP injuries. You might not be aware of them, because they are often difficult to diagnose. This is why it is important to get a trained medical expert’s opinion, rather than trying to rely on remedies. There are a lot of options that you can consider.

TAGGED:SLAP lesions
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

engineer fitting prosthetic arm
How Social Security Disability Shapes Access to Care and Everyday Health
Health care
August 20, 2025
a woman explaining the document
How a DUI Lawyer Can Help When Your Future Health Feels Uncertain
Public Health
August 20, 2025
physiotherapist at work
How One Fall Can Lead to a Long Road of Medical Complications
Health care
August 20, 2025
Common Healthcare Accreditation Programs
7 Most Common Healthcare Accreditation Programs: Which Should You Use?
Health News
August 20, 2025

You Might also Like

Health careOrthopaedicsWellness

What Is Scoliosis? 4 Ways To Treat It

August 28, 2018
OrthopaedicsSpecialtiesSurgery

What You Need To Know About Losing A Limb

July 27, 2020

Medtronic, Infuse and the Senate Finance Committee

June 27, 2011
chiropractic adjustment methods
FitnessOrthopaedicsSpecialties

7 Effective Chiropractor Adjustment Methods To Know

October 27, 2020
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?