Generalized joint hypermobility in patients with traumatic anterior shoulder instability

The aim of this study is to evaluate the relationship between traumatic unilateral shoulder instability with Bankart lesion and generalized joint hypermobility. Twenty eight patients and 28 control subjects were included in the study. All of the patients had had their first episode of dislocation during a single definite trauma and had traumatic Bankart lesion which was detected with magnetic resonance imaging. All patients and control subjects were evaluated using Beighton scoring system for generalized joint hypermobility. The mean age of the shoulder instability group and the control group was 26.10 ± 7.60 and 26.64 ± 7.47 years, respectively. Beighton score was found as 3.21 ± 2.11 in the patient group and 2.39 ± 2.06 in the control group. Thirteen cases (46.4%) in the instability group and nine cases (32.1%) in the control group were found to be hypermobile. This difference was not statistically significant. Two patients were reoperated because of recurrence. Both of them had generalized joint hypermobility. Hypermobility may be a predisposing factor to acute traumatic anterior instability and this hypothesis can be investigated in larger series.