Abstract
PurposeTo determine whether differences in return-to-play (RTP) rate and performance-based outcomes exist following shoulder arthroscopy in athletes from the National Football League (NFL), National Basketball League (NBA), Major League Baseball (MLB), and National Hockey League (NHL).MethodsProfessional athletes from the NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL who underwent shoulder arthroscopy between January 1998 and December 2016 were identified through an established review of injury reports and public archives. Sport-specific statistics were collected before and after shoulder arthroscopy for each athlete, providing a performance score. RTP was defined as the first game played postsurgery.ResultsOf the 208 professional athletes who met the inclusion criteria, 167 (80.3%) returned to play following shoulder arthroscopy, with MLB players returning at a significantly lower rate than those of other sports (P < .0001). NBA players had significantly shorter recovery times (201 days; P < .01) and MLB players had significantly longer recovery times (413 days; P < .001) when compared with athletes in other sports. The mean number of seasons played after shoulder arthroscopy was 3.7, 4.7, 4.8, and 5.8 for MLB, NFL, NHL, and NBA, respectively. NBA players performed worse in their first season postoperative compared with their preoperative performance (P = .0017), but their postoperative season 2 performance returned to their preoperative performance level (P = .1893). Similarly, NHL players performed worse in their postoperative season 1 compared with preoperative performance (P = .0274), but their postoperative season 2 performance improved upon their preinjury performance level (P = .0861).ConclusionsThere is a modest RTP rate among professional athletes following shoulder arthroscopy. MLB players have the longest average time to RTP and the shortest postinjury careers following shoulder arthroscopy. However, they demonstrate no significant decline in performance following their injury. Conversely, NBA players had the shortest average time to RTP and the longest post-injury career. Both NBA and NHL athletes experienced a decrease in performance in post-operative season one.Level of EvidenceLevel III, retrospective comparative study.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
