the labrum is basically an O-ring of cartilage that helps give stability to the joint. Best example I ever saw was a surgeon giving a lecture on stage at a sports medicine symposium. He pulls out a toilet plunger, points to the wooden handle and says “this is your humerus”; then he points to the rubber plunger part and says “this is your labrum”. He jams the thing against the wall and it sticks there quite nicely. Pulls it off with a “thwuuuuuuck” sound, takes some shears and makes a cut in the plunger. Says “this is a torn labrum”, sticks it to the wall, lets go, and said plunger drops to the ground. Bottom line, the labrum provides stability to the humeral head. It’s a “static stabilizer”, meaning it doesn’t contract/relax, change with training etc. You also have “dynamic stabilizers”, namely the four rotator cuff muscles, as well as about 17 muscles that attach to your scapula, which is the true anchor for anything you do with your upper extremity. So…if the static restraint is broken, work the hell out of the dynamic restraints. Worse case, option 2a, you go into surgery strong and bounce back quicker. That said, the rehab is a long haul, with return to sport probably at the 9-12 month mark
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