Posterior Shoulder Instability Repair — Posterior Shoulder Reconstruction with or without Labral Repair

UW Health Sports Medicine · Marc Sherry, PT, DPT, LAT, CSCS, PES; UW Health Sports Medicine physician group

Weight-Bearing

N/A (shoulder surgery)

Key Restrictions

Sling 6 weeks; no shoulder IR past neutral for 6 weeks; no IR with abduction for 8 weeks; avoid closed chain exercises Phase II (posterior force stress); no swimming or running until Phase IV

Timeline & Phases

Phase I (0-3 wks): sling, ER to 40° in neutral, isometrics week 3; Phase II (3-8 wks): full ROM except IR, sling until 6 wks, no closed chain; Phase III (8-12 wks): 5/5 RC at 90°, normalize IR gradually; Phase IV (12+ wks): high velocity, sport biomechanics; Phase V (18+ wks): sport-specific, RTS (surgeon and PT clearance)

Notes

Restricts IR (not ER) to protect posterior repair — opposite of anterior instability protocols. No closed chain exercises in Phase II due to posterior force stress. Capsulolabral repair with/without labral debridement. Marc Sherry, PT, DPT, LAT, CSCS, PES. Copyright 2017.

Surgeon / Author

Marc Sherry, PT, DPT, LAT, CSCS, PES; UW Health Sports Medicine physician group

Published

2017-11