Return to sports following arthroscopic Bankart repair in collision athletes: A systematic review

Background: The purpose of this study was to systematically review the rate and time frame to return to sports in collision athletes following arthroscopic Bankart repair. Methods: A systematic literature search based on Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis guidelines, utilizing the EMBASE, MEDLINE, and The Cochrane Library Databases was performed. Manuscripts were included if they studied collision or contact athletes, reported on return to play rates or percentages, underwent arthroscopic Bankart repair, published in a peer-reviewed journal, and published in English. The study characteristics and clinical outcomes were extracted. Results: A total of 19 studies with 1077 patients were included. Among collision athletes undergoing arthroscopic Bankart repair, the overall rate of return to sports was 89.8% (range 72%–100%). The mean time to return to sports was 5 months (range 3–6). The overall rate of returning to the same level of play was 80.8% (range 71.1%–100%). There were high return to sports rates among all collision sports. Specific return-to-play criteria were reported in most of the studies (95%), with time to return to sport being the most reported item (89.4%). Conclusion: Although overall return to sport among collision athletes following arthroscopic Bankart repair remains high, the proportion of athletes returning to their preoperative level of play was substantially lower.