Collision Athletes: Bristow Offers Good Midterm Results

A new study, “Midterm Clinical Results in Rugby Players Treated With the Bristow Procedure,” published online on November 27, 2017 in The American Journal of Sports Medicine,, took a closer look at the midterm results for collision athletes who underwent the Bristow procedure with Bankert repair, and the researchers found that while there are some factors that can complicate recovery, overall midterm results were positive.

For this study, the researchers analyzed 176 shoulders of 152 competitive rugby players who underwent the Bristow procedure with Bankart repair to stabilize their shoulder. The primary endpoint was the difference between the presurgical and postsurgical functional Rowe score and Western Ontario Shoulder Instability Index (WOSI) score and the factors that influence the scores. The patients were followed up for a minimum of two years.

According to the data, 93.2% of the players were able to return to their preinjury performance level within 6 months. However both reinjury rate after surgery (OR = 35.1) and the number of shoulder dislocations (OR = 11.2-11.4) did adversely influence the level of competition after athletes returned to play. In addition reinjury (OR = 11.1-17.8), the number of shoulder subluxations (OR = 1.1-2.9), injury in the dominant shoulder (OR = 1.2-22.) and large bone defects (OR = 1.1-11.5) had negative impact on functional scores. The reinjury rate after surgery was 3.4%.

The researchers wrote, “Although differences were not significant, a trend was noted toward higher postoperative reinjury rates in forward players, those in the upper categories (professional and college), and those with injury in the nondominant shoulder.”