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Objectives: To assess the results of inferior capsular shift for multidirectional instability of the shoulder in athletes. Methods: Multidirectional instability was surgically corrected in 53 shoulders in 47 athletes who engaged in contact sports. A history of major trauma was found in eight patients, the others having had minor episodes. Before surgery, all patients had complex combinations of instabilities. The surgical approach was selected according to the predominant direction of instability. Results: Anterior inferior capsular shift was carried out in 37 shoulders, and anterior dislocation recurred in three. In one of these, it was anterior alone, one was anterior and inferior, and one was unstable in all three directions. After posterior inferior capsular shift in 16 shoulders, one dislocation occurred anteriorly and one posteriorly. With the anterior approach, four athletes could not return to sport. Two patients treated with the posterior approach could not return to sport. Of these six failures, five patients had had bilateral repairs. Successful repair based on the criteria of the American Shoulder and Elbow Association was achieved in 92% of anterior repairs and 81% of posterior repairs. Successful return to sport was noted in 82% of patients with anterior repairs, 75% with posterior repairs, and 17% with bilateral repairs. Overall, there were five subsequent dislocations, three in the anterior repair group (8%), and two in the posterior repair group (12%). Conclusions: Inferior capsular shift can successfully correct multidirectional instability in most players of contact sports, but the results in bilateral cases are poor.

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