[Durgical](https://durgical.com/en/) › [DurgiPedia](https://durgical.com/en/durgipedia/) › [Anatomy](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/) › [Upper limb](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/region/upper-limb/) › Labrum [Joints and ligaments](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/system/joints-and-ligaments/) · [Upper limb](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/region/upper-limb/) # Labrum The glenoid labrum is a ring of tough tissue around the shoulder socket's rim; it deepens the socket and anchors the biceps tendon and ligaments. Official name: Glenoid labrum [See in 3D →](https://durgical.app/?from=durgipedia&lang=en#region=upper_limb&select=glenoid_labrum&side=r) Opens in the Durgical app, no sign-up needed. ## What it is A firm ring of fibrocartilage around the rim of the shoulder socket. ## What it does Deepens the shallow socket, anchors the ligaments and the biceps tendon, and helps keep the ball in place. ## Key points - Deepens the shallow glenoid (by about half in most texts), seals the joint like a suction cup and anchors the glenohumeral ligaments and the biceps; a tear weakens all three - Read as a clock face (12 o'clock = biceps anchor, 3 o'clock = front of a right shoulder): Bankart tears sit at about 3 to 6 o'clock, SLAP tears at the top - The anterosuperior labrum (about 1 to 3 o'clock) is home to normal variants, the sublabral foramen and the Buford complex; they mimic tears and must not be 'repaired' - A paralabral cyst from a posterosuperior tear can reach the spinoglenoid notch and compress the suprascapular nerve, weakening only [infraspinatus](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/infraspinatus/) ## Key facts **Attaches** Rim of the glenoid; long head of biceps blends in above (supraglenoid tubercle) **Function** Fibrocartilage ring; deepens the socket and seals the joint; SLAP (top) and Bankart (front-lower) tears ## Relations **Above** [Long biceps tendon](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/tendon-of-the-long-head-of-biceps/), which blends with the labrum at the supraglenoid tubercle (biceps-labral complex); the [superior glenohumeral ligament](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/superior-glenohumeral-ligament/) (SGHL) beside it **In front** [Middle glenohumeral ligament](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/middle-glenohumeral-ligament/) (MGHL) and the anterior band of the [inferior glenohumeral ligament](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/inferior-glenohumeral-ligament/) (IGHL) attach to it; the [subscapularis tendon](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/subscapularis-tendon/) lies in front of the capsule **Below** Axillary pouch of the IGHL hanging below; the [axillary nerve](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/axillary-nerve/) runs just under the capsule **Behind** Posterior band of the IGHL and the posterior capsule; behind the posterosuperior labrum, the spinoglenoid notch with the [suprascapular nerve](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/suprascapular-nerve/) **Lateral** [Humeral head cartilage](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/articular-cartilage-of-the-humeral-head/), which it cups **Medial** Glenoid rim and [glenoid cartilage](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/articular-cartilage-of-the-glenoid/), to which its base is fixed by fibrous tissue ## How to find it Not palpable. At arthroscopy it is the white fibrocartilage rim around the glenoid, continuous above with the long head of biceps; the front half is probed from the posterior portal and the back half from an anterior portal. ## Examination - Apprehension test: supine, arm at 90° abduction, then external rotation; fear that the shoulder will slip out (not pain alone) suggests anterior instability, as with a Bankart lesion - Relocation test: a backward push on the humeral head in the apprehension position relieves the fear, confirming anterior instability - O'Brien active compression test: arm at 90° flexion, slightly adducted, thumb down, resisting a downward push; deep pain that eases with the palm up suggests a SLAP lesion (pain on top points to the AC joint) - Load and shift test: the head is centred and then pushed forward and back; translation to the rim, over it, or locking out grades laxity ## On imaging MR arthrography is the reference study: contrast entering the labrum or lifting it off the glenoid marks a tear; the ABER view (abduction, external rotation) tightens the IGHL and shows anteroinferior tears. A normal sublabral recess is smooth and points medially; a SLAP tear is irregular or points laterally. A West Point view or CT shows a bony Bankart. ## Common problems - Bankart tear: the front-lower labrum is pulled off the rim when the shoulder dislocates forward. - SLAP tear: the top of the labrum, where the biceps tendon anchors, tears in throwers or after a fall. - After a tear the shoulder can feel loose, catch or dislocate again, especially in young athletes. ## How it is diagnosed Exam with apprehension and other special tests. MRI, often with contrast in the joint (MR arthrogram), shows the tear; CT checks for bone loss on the rim. ## Treatment - Physical therapy to strengthen the cuff and shoulder blade muscles. - Arthroscopic labral repair with small anchors (Bankart or SLAP repair). - Biceps tenodesis instead of a SLAP repair in some older patients. ## Clinical notes - Bankart variants: Perthes (labrum torn but the scapular periosteum still attached, so it can look normal), ALPSA (labroligamentous sleeve healed medially down the glenoid neck), GLAD (labral tear with a cartilage defect) - SLAP lesions (Snyder): I fraying; II biceps anchor detached, the most common; III bucket-handle tear of the superior labrum; IV bucket-handle tear extending into the biceps tendon - Reverse Bankart: a tear of the posterior labrum in posterior instability (seizures, electric shock, blocking in contact sports) - Arthroscopic Bankart repair reattaches the labrum with anchors; a Latarjet coracoid transfer is chosen when glenoid bone loss is large; in older people biceps tenodesis is often preferred to a SLAP repair ## Anatomical variants - Sublabral foramen: the anterosuperior labrum is unattached to the rim, leaving an opening under it (reported in roughly 1 in 10 shoulders; series vary) - Buford complex: the anterosuperior labrum is absent and the MGHL is a thick cord that attaches straight to the biceps anchor (uncommon, about 1–2% in most series) - Sublabral recess: a smooth groove between the superior labrum and the glenoid at the biceps anchor, easily mistaken for a type II SLAP tear ## Memory aid SLAP = Superior Labrum, Anterior to Posterior: the tear runs from front to back across the biceps anchor. ## Related conditions - [Shoulder dislocation](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/shoulder-dislocation/) ## Test yourself Think of the answer, then tap the question to see it. ## What are the three functions of the glenoid labrum? It deepens the shallow glenoid, seals the joint like a suction cup and anchors the glenohumeral ligaments and the biceps. ## Where on the glenoid clock face do Bankart and SLAP tears of the labrum sit? Bankart tears at about 3 to 6 o'clock (front-lower); SLAP tears at the top, around the biceps anchor at 12 o'clock. ## What is the Buford complex? A normal variant: absent anterosuperior labrum with a thick cord-like MGHL attaching to the biceps anchor; it mimics a tear and must not be repaired. ## Which is the most common SLAP lesion type? Type II, in which the biceps anchor is detached from the superior labrum. ## What is the reference imaging study for the glenoid labrum? MR arthrography; contrast entering the labrum or lifting it off the glenoid marks a tear. [Add to my cards (5)](https://durgical.app/estudiar/?add=/en/anatomy/glenoid-labrum/) Educational information, not medical advice. For any symptom, see a health professional. ## Its names **Official Latin (TA2)** labrum glenoideum TA2 1765 **Official Spanish (DeCS)** Labrum glenoideo **English (TA2)** Glenoid labrum **Also called** glenoid lip ## Related - [Long biceps tendon](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/tendon-of-the-long-head-of-biceps/) - [IGHL](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/inferior-glenohumeral-ligament/) - [Glenoid cartilage](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/articular-cartilage-of-the-glenoid/) - [Humerus](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/humerus/) - [Scapula](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/scapula/) Sources: Terminologia Anatomica (TA2); [Anatomy, Shoulder and Upper Limb, Glenohumeral Joint](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK537018/); [Anatomy, Shoulder and Upper Limb, Shoulder](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK536933/). ## **Spotted a mistake?** We are always improving for the community. Tell us what is wrong and our team will review it. Report a mistake Representative model, for educational purposes only. --- Source: https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/glenoid-labrum/ License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Cite as: DurgiPedia (durgical.com), https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/glenoid-labrum/