They are found in certain shoulders with recurrent dislocations associated with more severe lesions (Bankart lesion); or in unstable painful shoulders likely to be involved in the micro-instability of the shoulder, especially when the long biceps is snatched.
Diagnosis on clinical examination is often difficult.
we can find a long biceps suffering but most often it is qualified as internal inconvenience of the shoulder function.
These lesions often following traumatism during a fall with forced movement of the shoulder in an attempt reception on the ground.
The diagnosis on imaging is also difficult but sometimes very specific (tearing up to the upper labrum bone, biceps fissure …).
But, like most micro-instabilities, the interrogation of the patient is very evocative.
Despite ‘normal’ examinations, arthroscopic exploration of the shoulder is sometimes proposed to test the insertion of the labrum and biceps.
Arthroscanner view of a SLAP lesion (tearing up to the bones of the upper bead and the long biceps).