Impingement of the deep surface of the subscapularis tendon and the reflection pulley on the anterosuperior glenoid rim: a preliminary report

Abstract

Sixteen patients underwent detailed arthroscopic evaluation; all had moderate to severe, primarily unexplained shoulder pain provoked by anterior elevation and internal rotation, and all were nonresponsive to subacromial injection of local anesthetic. None of the patients had any symptoms or signs of instability. Partial subscapularis lesions were documented in 10 of 13 patients who had undergone preoperative arthro-magnetic resonance imaging. At arthroscopy, an isolated lesion of the common humeral insertion of the superior glenohumeral and coracohumeral ligaments (a so-called pulley lesion) was found in 3 cases, a lesion associating a pulley and an articular side partial subscapularis lesion in 10 cases, and an isolated articular side partial subscapularis tear in 3 cases. The most painful movement, which consisted of flexion and internal rotation, caused impingement of the involved ligamentous and/or capsular insertions in all patients. If the arm was elevated above 90 degrees, the zone of mechanical contact was between the long head of the biceps and the pulley region and superiormost aspect of the labrum; if elevation was decreased, impingement occurred between the tendinous insertion of the subscapularis and the anterior glenoid labrum and rim. This study suggests that in addition to the posterosuperior impingement of the supraspinatus tendon originally described by Walch, anterosuperior impingement of the deep surface of the subscapularis is a form of intraarticular impingement responsible for painful structural disease of the shoulder.