What is a type II SLAP shoulder injury? That's what my daughter says the arthroscopic exam showed this is the cause of the clicking in her shoulder.

SLAP stands for superior labrum anterior and posterior lesion. It refers to a long tear of the cartilage around the shoulder socket. It extends from the front to the back. Type II tells us that the long head of the biceps tendon is also torn along with the labrum.

Overhead athletes are most likely to injure themselves as a result of major trauma. It is possible to tear the labrum without an injury. The early symptoms include pain along the back of the shoulder that gets worse with certain positions or movements. Some patients report a click without pain during movement.

The physician examining a patient with a type II SLAP lesion will usually palpate tenderness, tension, and/or pain over the biceps tendon. Special tests can be done that reproduce the painful symptoms of this condition. They do so by compressing or pinching the torn labrum and nearby soft tissues.

Other SLAP injuries have different symptoms and clinical presentations. The key difference with the type II is the detached biceps tendon.

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