Background: Pectoralis major tendon ruptures are commonly described as rare injuries affecting men between 20 and 40 years of age, with generally excellent results after surgical repair. However, this perception is based on a relatively small number of case series and prospective studies in the orthopaedic literature. Purpose: To determine the incidence of pectoralis major tendon ruptures in the active-duty military population and the demographic risk factors for a rupture and to describe the outcomes of surgical treatment. Study Design: Case control study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: We utilized the Military Health System Data Repository (MDR) to identify all active-duty military personnel surgically treated for a pectoralis major tendon rupture between January 2012 and December 2014. Electronic medical records were searched for patients’ demographic information, injury characteristics, and postoperative complications and outcomes. Risk factors for a rupture were calculated using Poisson regression, based on population counts obtained from the MDR. Risk factors for a postoperative complication, the need for revision surgery, and the inability to continue with active duty were determined using univariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression. Results: A total of 291 patients met inclusion criteria. The mean patient age was 30.5 years, all patients were male, and the median follow-up period was 18 months. The incidence of injuries was 60 per 100,000 person-years over the study period. Risk factors for a rupture included service in the Army, junior officer or junior enlisted rank, and age between 25 and 34 years. White race and surgery occurring >6 weeks after injury were significant risk factors for a postoperative complication. Among the 214 patients with a minimum of 12 months’ clinical follow-up, 95.3% were able to return to military duty. Junior officer/enlisted status was a significant risk factor for failure to return to military duty. Conclusion: Among military personnel, Army soldiers and junior officer/enlisted rank were at highest risk of pectoralis major tendon ruptures, and junior personnel were at highest risk of being unable to return to duty after surgical treatment. Although increasing time from injury to surgery was not a risk factor for treatment failure or inability to return to duty, it did significantly increase the risk of a postoperative complication.

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The glenohumeral joint is one of the most frequently dislocated joints and occurs with increasing frequency in collision and contact athletes, especially those in sports that repeatedly place the glenohumeral joint in a position of vulnerability. Nonoperative management of shoulder instability especially in young contact athletes results in unacceptably high recurrence rates; thus, early surgical stabilization has become commonplace. Surgical stabilization typically yields acceptable outcomes. However, recurrent anterior instability may occur following a previous stabilization procedure at rates of 7% to 12%. Recurrent glenohumeral instability represents a treatment challenge for orthopedic surgeons as it not only has the potential to result in subsequent surgery, therapy, and missed activity time, but also has been associated with long-term degenerative joint changes. Thus, recurrent instability requires close examination to determine underlying pathology leading to failure. Evaluation of underlying pathology requires consideration of patient activity-related factors, hyperlaxity and multidirectional instability, glenoid bone loss, glenoid track lesions, and other pathologic lesions. Revision surgical stabilization approaches include arthroscopic and open stabilization, as well as glenoid osseous augmentation procedures. Postoperative rehabilitation and release to sports and activity must be tailored to protect the shoulder from continued instability. Understanding that risk of recurrent glenohumeral instability and the risk factors associated with it are essential so that these factors may be mitigated and recurrent instability prevented.