Physiotherapy

If the SLAP lesion is mild, conservative therapy can still be effective and treat the symptoms effectively. In order to loosen and strengthen the muscles, physiotherapy can be prescribed by the doctor. This helps to restore and maintain shoulder function.

Cooling packs can be used to support healing. Additionally, tape bandages can give the joint a certain security and support the muscles in their function. The advantage of tape bandages is that they remain on the shoulder longer and support physiotherapy even outside of the treatment period. Medication can also be used, but this is not necessary later on. Comprehensive information on this topic can be found in the articles:

Physiotherapy after a SLAP lesion
Kinesiotape

SLAP – lesion definition

The term SLAP lesion is also used as an abbreviation for Superior Labrum from anterior to posterior.Due to its bony structure, the shoulder joint has a large range of motion, which is important for the function of the shoulder. Since the head of the upper arm is larger than the glenoid cavity of the shoulder blade, the head of the upper arm must be centered in the glenoid cavity by muscles. These muscles wrap around the joint like ligaments.

This provides stability for the shoulder joint and the head of humerus cannot jump out of the joint. Furthermore, the Labrum glenoidale offers an enlargement of the glenoid cavity and can therefore contribute to stabilization. It is like an outgrowth of the joint edge, which wraps itself around the head of the joint like a lip. This is also where the tendon of the biceps brachii muscle is located, which can rupture due to strong forces or chronic overloading with the labrum glenoidale, resulting in a SLAP lesion. Comprehensive general information on this topic can be found in the article: SLAP lesion

Test

Before an imaging procedure is performed to diagnose a SLAP lesion, a manual test can be performed to assess the condition in the patient. In this way, the hypothesis of a SLAP lesion can be narrowed down to other diseases of the shoulder. The Biceps-Load test is considered reliable in the examination and can be performed in two variants.

For the first variant of the Biceps-Load Test, the patient lies on his back and the examiner puts the affected arm in the throwing position. This means that the patient’s arm is abducted by 90 degrees and the elbow is bent by 90 degrees and supinated. In supination of the forearm, the palm of the hand faces the face.
Since the shoulder is rotated outwards in the throwing position, this can already cause pain. The upper hand of the examiner lies on the wrist and the lower hand on the elbow. Then the forearm is pressed in elbow flexion and a tension is created in the shoulder joint. If the pain remains in the tension or even increases, the test is positive.
In the second variant, the external rotation of the arm is not in the 90 degree abduction position, but in the 120 degree abduction position. Here, too, tension is applied in elbow flexion and the pain is checked.