I am a college-level volleyball player on a sports scholarship. I have a dislocating shoulder with a tear in the labrum. The doctors here want to do a special repair. It's called a Bankart repair with some kind of suture anchor. What I really need to know is: will I get the motion back I need to serve and spike the ball?

The Bankart lesion describes the type of damage to the shoulder. It occurs after forward (anterior) dislocation of the joint. The labrum is a rim of fibrous cartilage around part of the shoulder socket. There are ligaments that attach to the labrum.

When the shoulder is dislocated anteriorly, the labrum along the front of the shoulder is torn away from the bone. The injury is called a Bankart lesion. It was named after the doctor who first described it in the early 1900s.

The operation you described allows the doctor to pass sutures through the ligaments and repair the labrum while still allowing shoulder motion. Overhead throwing athletes may need a special rehab program to restore full motion and function needed for their sport.

Studies show it takes longer for overhead athletes to recover from shoulder surgery. There are greater demands on overhead athletes compared to nonoverhead players. Greater precision and endurance are needed. More external rotation is needed for some sports.