Background: Shoulder dislocation is a common injury in athletes participating in contact and overhead sports. Optimal treatment is still a subject of controversial debate.
Study aim: Presentation of current concepts for therapy of shoulder dislocation in athletes.
Methods: A selective literature search in PubMed was carried out.
Results: Surgical and non-surgical therapy options are described in the literature and can be successful in certain situations. A gold standard has yet to be defined.
Conclusion: For decision-making numerous patient and sports-related factors need to be considered. There is a current trend towards early surgical stabilization in young athletes.