Background. The recurrence rate of adolescent chronic shoulder instability is approximately 56%–68%. However, this pathology is often missed in childhood and adolescence.Aim. To identify the clinical forms of shoulder joint instability in pediatric patients.Materials and methods. The authors present the data from 57 pediatric patients aged 3−17 years with a total of 61 unstable shoulder joints. All patients were divided into groups according to the form of instability. Traumatic chronic shoulder instability was identified in 40 patients (Bankart and Hill–Sachs injuries). Of these, non-traumatic shoulder instability was diagnose in 17, including five with recurrent dislocation, and spontaneous shoulder dislocation due to dysplasia of glenoid and labrum was diagnosed in 12. Of the 57 patients in the study cohort, 53 underwent surgery. Postoperatively, two patients developed recurrent shoulder dislocation (Andreev–Boichev technique) due type III shoulder dysplasia in the first patient and multidirectional injury in the second.Conclusions. Shoulder joint instability should be considered as the traumatic or non-traumatic form. Treatment decisions should be based on anatomical characteristics that predispose to recurrent dislocation.

Background.Shoulder joint injuries and shoulder instability often occur in adolescents.Materials and methods. During a 3-year period, we performed arthroscopic surgery on 42 patients with shoulder joint injuries.Results and discussion. The majority (76.2%) of the patients on whom we performed arthroscopic shoulder joint surgery were male. This is likely due to more aggressive physical activity among males. Most of the patients were injured during exercise (n = 27, 64.3%). Arthroscopy is a highly effective surgical method for the treatment of shoulder joint injuries. Prolonged non-operative treatment with no well-established indications and an incorrect diagnosis can lead to rapid progression of degenerative and dystrophic changes of the shoulder joint and may result in shoulder joint dysfunction.