Dynamic anterior stabilization for recurrent anterior shoulder instability improves postoperative patient-reported outcomes without restricting shoulder range of motion: a meta-analysis

Purpose: Dynamic anterior stabilization (DAS) is a novel soft-tissue procedure for treating anterior shoulder instability in selected cases. The purpose of the present meta-analysis is to provide the up-to-date evidence on DAS’s outcomes, safety and characterize study designs to improve future studies and accelerate technical advancements. Methods: A PRISMA guided meta-analysis was performed. Inclusion criteria were human studies, comparative or non-comparative in which DAS was performed as an indication for anterior shoulder instability. Four databases were searched PubMed (via MEDLINE), EMBASE, Web of Science, and Science Direct. ROBINS-I was employed for risk of bias analysis. A random-effects meta-analysis was performed using mean difference (MD) as effect size estimator. Heterogeneity was reported using the I² statistic. Dichotomous variables were counted and reported as % out of total sample size for each study. Results: Five studies met the inclusion criteria. A total of 137 patients were available for analysis with a mean age of 27.8 ± 9 years and 108 patients were males. Mean follow-up duration was 37 ± 11 months. Postoperative ASES score showed an improvement of MD = -15.09 (95% CI: -22.35 to -7.38), p < 0.01, compared to the preoperative period. The ROWE score showed a similar improvement, MD = -58.38 (95% CI: -69.88 to -46.89), p < 0.01. Postoperative range of motion (ROM) was not significantly influenced. Active anterior elevation had a MD = -6.07° (95% CI: -15.04 to 2.91), p = 0.19, active external rotation had a MD = 3.7° (95% CI: -7.71 to 15.11), p = 0.53, and active internal rotation, MD = 0.16° (95% CI: -1.4 to 1.73), p = 0.84. Return to play ranged from 80 to 100% while return to competitive sports, reported by a single study, was 33%. The overall complication rate was 8.6%. The overall risk of bias was “serious” or “critical” for all included studies. Conclusion: DAS has been shown to improve postoperative PROMs, does not restrict ROM compared to the preoperative period and has an overall complication rate of 8.6%.