ReviewJournal of experimental orthopaedics2026
Coracoid bone-block versus soft-tissue stabilization for anterior shoulder instability in professional athletes: A systematic review and meta-analysis of return to play and recurrence rates.
Review in Journal of experimental orthopaedics, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Authors and funding
9 authors.
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Abstract
Purpose: Anterior shoulder instability is a common injury among professional athletes. Both soft-tissue and bone-block procedures are widely used for surgical stabilization, but it remains unclear whether one approach offers superior outcomes in terms of return to play (RTP) and recurrence. The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to compare RTP rates, time to RTP and recurrence of instability between professional athletes treated with coracoid bone-block procedures and those undergoing soft-tissue stabilization. Methods: A systematic search of PubMed, Embase and the Cochrane Library was conducted from database inception through August 2025 according to PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines. Studies including professional athletes treated surgically for anterior shoulder instability were analysed. Pooled effect estimates were calculated using random-effects models. Subgroup analyses compared bone-block versus soft-tissue stabilization for RTP, time to RTP and recurrence. Results: Thirteen studies were included in the systematic review and meta-analysis and of these, eight analysed soft-tissue surgery and five coracoid bone block. The overall pooled RTP rate was 95.6% (95% confidence interval [CI], 88.2-99.8) in the coracoid bone-block group and 95.9% (95% CI, 91.6-98.9) in the soft-tissue group ( Conclusion: Both coracoid bone-block and soft-tissue procedures allow professional athletes to achieve high RTP rates with low recurrence. No definitive differences between techniques can be established, particularly considering the low quality of evidence and the substantial heterogeneity across studies. Level of Evidence: Level III, systematic review and meta-analysis.
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