Decision making in the in-season athlete with shoulder instability.

Shoulder instability in the in-season athlete can generally be managed nonoperatively during the season, except when specific contraindications are present, such as bone loss or involvement of the dominant limb in an overhead athlete. Brace wear, although advocated by many investigators, has no proven efficacy in reducing the number or frequency of in-season instability events. Arthroscopic approaches are used for both anterior and posterior instability, with rates of success similar to open approaches but with the advantage of improved postoperative range of motion. Return to play may be considered 6 month postoperatively for the nonthrowing athlete and 9 months postoperatively for the overhead-throwing athlete.