Return to sports and work after anterior shoulder instability

Eight decades after Blundell Bankart first described the characteristic anteroinferior labral lesion following an anterior shoulder dislocation, there are still various recommendations regarding the timelines for returning to sport and work after nonsurgical and surgical treatments. The differences stem from diverse patient collectives and the vast evolution in evidence-based nonoperative and operative therapeutic strategies. Most studies initially addressed topics such as nonoperative versus operative techniques, implant material, and clinical and radiographic outcomes. However, to give patients a realistic outlook on performance capability and evidence-based timeframes, the focus has shifted toward more patient-centered metrics such as return to play, to sport, and to work. This review highlights return-to-sport and return-to-work rates after nonoperative and operative management of traumatic unidirectional anterior shoulder instability and functions in order to give physicians practical, up-to-date guidance on therapy-dependent timeframes for these metrics.