Labral Tear Shoulder Symptoms: What to watch for and what to do next
Shoulder labral tears are injuries to the cartilage that helps stabilize the shoulder joint, but they are not always the true cause of shoulder pain. Understanding common symptoms, how imaging fits into diagnosis, and why a thorough movement assessment matters can help you make informed treatment decisions.
Many people have labral tears without symptoms, making a physical examination more valuable than an MRI alone when determining the source of pain. Physical therapy can identify the underlying problem and provide targeted treatment to restore mobility, strength, and function.
Early evaluation through physical therapy can often help reduce pain, improve shoulder stability, and determine whether additional medical care is necessary.
Shoulder pain can make everyday activities frustrating or even impossible to perform. There are so many structures around the shoulder, so knowing what exactly is going on may seem elusive to you.
You may find yourself running to imaging or becoming fearful because of stories about your aunt’s friend’s mom or some other random person who had a shoulder labral tear and needed surgery.
Before your brain goes to these dark places, it is important to know that many shoulder injuries can be managed conservatively with great success. We are going to explain everything you need to know about labral tear shoulder symptoms so you are empowered with solid information to make next-step decisions.
Here’s what we are going to talk about in this blog post:
What is a shoulder labral tear?
Common labral tear shoulder symptoms
Can you have a shoulder labral tear and not know it?
What to do if you have shoulder labral tear symptoms
What is a shoulder labral tear?
There are labrums in two joints of the body - the shoulder and the hip. The labrum is a fibrocartilage rim around the edge of the joint. The purpose of the labral rim is to add extra stability to the joint.
This stability is especially important in the shoulder. This is because the shoulder is a very shallow and mobile joint (in contrast to the hip which is a deep and stable joint). Think of the ball and socket of the shoulder as a golf ball sitting on a tee. In contrast, the hip joint is more like a scoop of ice cream sitting in a cone…at least one that is dipped well and the ice cream is really in there!
Holding that visual of the golf ball on the tee, you can see how extra stabilization is really important! This is what the labrum provides.
Any soft tissue can tear, and the labrum is no exception. Labral tears can happen as the result of an injury, the most common being a dislocation of the shoulder, or gradually happen over time as a result of using your arm and living life.
Common labral tear shoulder symptoms
Common labral tear shoulder symptoms include:
Popping and clicking in the shoulder with movement
Joint catching, locking, or feelings of “getting stuck”
Shoulder pain, usually deep
Limited range of motion reaching overhead
Feelings of instability in the shoulder, or like it will slip out of socket
Weakness in and around the shoulder
Pain with lying on the affected side
Can you have a shoulder labral tear and not know it?
Yes! While some labral tears happen as the result of injury or dislocation, remember I just said that labral tears can happen without an injury. With use over time, tissue tears can happen. Because of this, you may have a labral tear and not even know it.
Research shows that 55-72% of people age 45-60 can have shoulder labral tears and have no symptoms at all! (Schwartzberg, et al)
This is very important when considering what to do if you have either a suspected or MRI confirmed labral tear. Surgery may or may not be the answer, because the torn tissue may or may not be the underlying cause of your symptoms.
A thorough physical exam is usually more helpful than imaging alone in determining what is actually causing your shoulder pain, and therefore what the best next steps are.
What to do if you have shoulder labral tear symptoms
If you are having shoulder pain or symptoms, there are a few things you can do at home to support yourself. However, getting support from a medical professional is recommended so you can recover quickly and efficiently.
The first things I recommend doing are:
Avoid pushing through painful activities
Stay active in ways that feel good to your shoulder
Get good quality sleep
Eat whole, nutritious foods while avoiding sugary and processed foods
After doing this, being evaluated by a physical therapist is the next best step. Physical therapists perform thorough, functional evaluations, meaning we look at how your body moves in real life. This provides more valuable information than imaging alone does. This is because the structure of your shoulder doesn’t tell the whole story.
Based on the evaluation findings, the physical therapist will use a combination of manual therapy and targeted exercise to calm down irritated tissues, improve mobility, and increase strength. This is very successful at healing shoulder pain and can minimize labral tear shoulder symptoms.
If at any point the physical therapist thinks that there is more going on than what physical therapy care can successfully treat, he/she will refer you to another medical provider, likely an orthopedic physician, for further examination and treatment.
The big takeaway is that physical therapy is the best place to start!
Where to find physical therapy for labral tear shoulder symptoms
Have you tried self-managing your shoulder pain and want more individualized support?
If you are located in or near Westerville, Ohio we can help you with physical therapy to improve your labral tear shoulder symptoms!
You can get started right away by learning more about our physical therapy services or getting in contact with us.
We also offer virtual coaching throughout the world to empower you with your health and get to the root of what is holding you back. You can learn more about our virtual coaching program here.
If you have additional questions, we would love to talk with you, hear your story, answer all your questions, and see how we could help.
You can call or text us at (614) 423-9731 or schedule a free discovery call. You can also learn more about Empower Physio and Wellness + our team or check out other services we offer.
References:
Schwartzberg, Randy, et al. "High Prevalence of Superior Labral Tears Diagnosed by MRI in Middle-Aged Patients With Asymptomatic Shoulders." Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine, vol. 4, no. 1, 2016, p. 2325967115623212. SAGE Publications, https://doi.org/10.1177/2325967115623212.
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