Contact athletes who need a second shoulder stabilization surgery can breathe a little easier. A new study found that revision Latarjet surgery produces outcomes nearly identical to primary Latarjet — including similar rates of return to sport, recurrent instability, and functional improvement — challenging the assumption that a redo surgery puts athletes at a disadvantage.
For contact athletes who've already had a shoulder stabilization procedure fail, the prospect of a second surgery can feel like a major setback. But new research suggests the revision Latarjet procedure is just as effective as the primary version — good news for athletes hoping to get back in the game.
Presented at the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine Annual Meeting, the study analyzed data from 138 contact sport athletes who underwent Latarjet surgery between 2012 and 2023. Of those, 61 had primary Latarjet and 77 had revision Latarjet. At the 2-year follow-up, both groups showed significant and comparable improvements in shoulder function, with no meaningful differences in glenoid bone loss.
Key Takeaways:
Why it matters: These findings challenge the long-held belief that revision Latarjet is inherently inferior. For surgeons and athletes facing a second surgery, this data offers reassurance — though researchers caution that a revision still means another lost season of play.
