Our third season of Journal Club has arrived
The BESS Journal Club is a quarterly online educational forum designed to promote critical appraisal, discussion, and lifelong learning in shoulder and elbow practice. Sessions are held in February, May, September, and December and are hosted by a nominated upper limb unit.
Each meeting explores a selection of both contemporary and landmark papers, with participants critically appraising study design, methodology, strengths, limitations, and clinical relevance. These interactive discussions encourage the sharing of perspectives, debate of current evidence, and consideration of how research findings can be applied in everyday practice.
The Journal Club is coordinated and delivered by BESS-T, the Society’s free trainee network. While trainee-led, attendance is open to and encouraged for all BESS members and healthcare professionals with an interest in shoulder and elbow surgery.
Whether you are preparing for examinations, keeping up to date with the latest evidence, or simply interested in discussing key papers with colleagues, our Journal Club provides an accessible and engaging opportunity to learn from the wider shoulder and elbow community.
- The Journal Club is open to all, with members and non-members encouraged to register, engage, and participate in discussion. Each session is centred around an overarching theme, with two relevant papers selected for critical appraisal and review.Webinars are one hour in duration, consisting of:
- 20 minutes presentation and appraisal of Paper 1
- 20 minutes presentation and appraisal of Paper 2
- 20 minutes of facilitated discussion and audience participation or a third paper is chosen for discussion.
- Sessions are jointly chaired by a Consultant and an Allied Health Professional (AHP), ensuring a broad range of clinical perspectives.
- Due to copyright restrictions, attendees will be required to obtain their own access to the selected papers. Details of the papers will be circulated in advance to allow adequate preparation. Units interested in hosting a future Journal Club are encouraged to contact BESS-T at education@bess.ac.uk.
2026 Schedule
| Date | Host Unit | Theme | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25 February 2026 | Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh | Trauma – Shoulder | Webinar now on YouTube |
| 20 May 2026 | East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust | Irreparable Rotator Cuff – Transfer and Rehabilitation | Webinar now on YouTube |
| 16 September 2026 | Wythenshawe Hospital | Elbow Trauma | Registration now open |
| November/December 2026 | To be confirmed | To be confirmed | To be confirmed |
Elbow Trauma – 7pm, 16 September 2026
In this episode, three papers were discussed:
PAPER 1
Distal humeral hemiarthroplasty compared to total elbow replacement for distal humeral fractures: a registry analysis of 906 procedures
Fraser Taylor, BSc, MBChB, FRACS, FAOAa,*Richard Page, BMedSci, MBBS, FRACS, FAOAb,c James Wheeler, BPhty, MBBS, MTraumaa, Michelle Lorimer, BSci (Hons)c, Sophie Corfield, BA (Hons), PhDc, Yi Peng, MMed (Epi&Stats)c, Julianne Burnton, BPhysio, MBBS (Hons), FRACS, FAOAa
Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery, 2023; 33, 356-365 DOI: 10.1016/j.jse.2023.08.001
PAPER 2
Combined Medial and Lateral Approach Versus Paratricipital Approach in Open Reduction and Internal Fixation for Type C Distal Humerus Fracture: A Randomized Controlled Study
Lin Teng 1, Gang Zhong 2, Hai‐Bo Li 1, Shi‐qiang Cen 2, Da‐Hai Liu 1, Liang Li 1
PMCID: PMC10432446 PMID: 36702763
PAPER 3
Dual-Task Resistance Training Improves Strength and Reduces Pain More Than Resistance Exercise Alone in Elbow Fracture Rehabilitation: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Carlos Cruz-Montecinos PhD, PT a b, Laura López-Bueno PhD, PT c
, Rodrigo Núñez-Cortés PhD, PT a b, Rubén López-Bueno PhD c d e, Luis Suso-Martí PhD, PT c, Guillermo Mendez-Rebolledo PhD, PT f,
Antoni Morral PhD g, Lars Louis Andersen PhD e, Joaquín Calatayud PhD c e
Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation,
Volume 106, Issue 8,
2025,
Pages 1155-1162,
ISSN 0003-9993,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apmr.2025.01.419.
(https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0003999325004459)
Irreparable Rotator Cuff – Transfer and Rehabilitation – 7pm, 20 May 2026
In this episode three papers were discussed:
PAPER 1
Outcomes after arthroscopically assisted lower trapezius transfer with Achilles tendon allograft
Chopra A, Wright MA, Murthi AM.
J Shoulder Elbow Surg. 2024 Feb;33(2):321-327. doi: 10.1016/j.jse.2023.06.029. Epub 2023 Jul 25. PMID: 37499785.
PAPER 2
Nonoperative treatment of chronic, massive irreparable rotator cuff tears: a systematic review with synthesis of a standardized rehabilitation protocol
Shepet KH, Liechti DJ, Kuhn JE.
J Shoulder Elbow Surg. 2021 Jun;30(6):1431-1444. doi: 10.1016/j.jse.2020.11.002. Epub 2020 Dec 1. PMID: 33276163.
PAPER 3
Latissimus dorsi transfer vs. lower trapezius transfer for posterosuperior irreparable rotator cuff tears
Baek CH, Lee DH, Kim JG.
J Shoulder Elbow Surg. 2022 Sep;31(9):1810-1822. doi: 10.1016/j.jse.2022.02.020. Epub 2022 Mar 23. PMID: 35339706.
Shoulder Trauma – 7pm, 25 February 2026
In this episode three papers were discussed and a bonus editorial paper was also be included. The theme of this episode was proximal humerus fractures. Please see below for more information.
PAPER 1
Prediction of Nonunion After Nonoperative Treatment of a Proximal Humeral Fracture
Goudie EB, Robinson CM.
J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2021 Apr 21;103(8):668-680. doi: 10.2106/JBJS.20.01139. PMID: 33849049
PAPER 2
Effect of Fibular Allograft Augmentation in Medial Column Comminuted Proximal Humeral Fractures: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Wang Q, Sheng N, Huang JT, Zhu H, Tuerxun M, Ruan Z, Shi T, Zhu Y, Zhang Y, Rui B, Wang L, Chen Y.
J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2023 Feb 15;105(4):302-311.
DOI: 10.2106/JBJS.22.00746. Epub 2022 Dec 21. PMID: 36729429
PAPER 3
Deltoid tuberosity index for proximal humerus fracture: reliability and a predictor of systemic osteoporosis in an Asian population
Ng, Wei Xiang et al.
Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery, Volume 34, Issue 3, e133 – e140
DOI: 10.1016/j.jse.2024.05.018 External Link Also available on ScienceDirect
Bonus Paper
Revisiting Surgery for Proximal Humeral Fractures: How Much High-Quality Evidence Is Needed to De-Implement Surgery Introduced without High-Quality Evidence?
Brorson S.
J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2025 Dec 3;107(23):2608-2610. doi: 10.2106/JBJS.25.00543. Epub 2025 Nov 3. PMID: 41184173.
2025 Schedule
| Date | Host Unit | Theme | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 February 2025 | Royal London | Scapular Fractures | View on YouTube now |
| 15 May 2025 | Oswestry | Elective Elbow | View on YouTube now |
| 10 September 2025 | St. Georges | Elective Shoulder | View on YouTube now |
| 3 December 2025 | Derby Shoulder Unit | Elbow Trauma | View on YouTube now |
Elbow Trauma – 7pm, 3 December 2025
In this episode three papers will be discussed. Please see below for more information.
PAPER 1
Non-operative management of terrible triad injuries of the elbow; not so terrible?
Baker M, Eyre-Brook A, Gokaraju K, Jones V, Thyagarajan D, Ali A, Booker S. Non-operative management of terrible triad injuries of the elbow; not so terrible? Shoulder Elbow. 2024 Apr;16(2):200-205. doi: 10.1177/17585732231190599. Epub 2023 Jul 25. PMID: 38655413; PMCID: PMC11034474.
PAPER 2
Surgery for Olecranon Fractures in the Elderly (SOFIE) Results of the SOFIE Randomized Controlled Trial
Joshi MA, Le M, Campbell R, Sivakumar B, Limbers J, Harris IA, Symes M. Surgery for Olecranon Fractures in the Elderly (SOFIE): Results of the SOFIE Randomized Controlled Trial. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2025 Mar 5;107(5):452-458. doi: 10.2106/JBJS.24.00655. Epub 2025 Jan 9. PMID: 39787259.
PAPER 3
Does an Internal Joint Stabilizer and Standardized Protocol Prevent Recurrent Instability in Complex Persistent Elbow Instability?
Ma CH, Hsueh YH, Wu CH, Yen CY, Tu YK. Does an Internal Joint Stabilizer and Standardized Protocol Prevent Recurrent Instability in Complex Persistent Elbow Instability? Clin Orthop Relat Res. 2022 Jul 1;480(7):1354-1370. doi: 10.1097/CORR.0000000000002159. Epub 2022 Mar 10. PMID: 35266916; PMCID: PMC9191335.
Elective Shoulder – 7pm, 10 September 2025
In this episode three papers will be discussed. Please see below for more information.
PAPER 1
Long-term Outcomes of a Contemporary Arthroscopic Bankart Repair Technique in Patients With Traumatic Anterior Shoulder Instability: A Minimum 10-Year Follow-up.
Do A, Scheibel M, Moroder P, Hayta A, Akgun Demir I, Paksoy A, Akgün D. Am J Sports Med. 2025 Aug;53(10):2298-2305. doi: 10.1177/03635465251351293. Epub 2025 Jul 7. PMID: 40620132; PMCID: PMC12311240.
PAPER 2
The Pittsburgh Instability Tool Score Predicts Outcomes After Arthroscopic Anterior Shoulder Stabilization in Patients With Subcritical Bone Loss.
Charles S, Marcaccio S, Lin RT, Boden S, Nazzal EM, Hughes JD, Popchak A, Lesniak BP, Lin A. Arthroscopy. 2025 May 23:S0749-8063(25)00285-3. doi: 10.1016/j.arthro.2025.04.023. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 40414467.
PAPER 3
Reliability of a shoulder arm return to sport test battery
Olds M, Coulter C, Marant D, Uhl T. Phys Ther Sport. 2019 Sep;39:16-22. doi: 10.1016/j.ptsp.2019.06.001. Epub 2019 Jun 4. PMID: 31203142.
Elective Elbow – 7pm, 15 May 2025
In this episode up to 3 papers will be discussed. Please check back later for more information or register and receive updates by email.
PAPER 1
Elbow joint loads during simulated activities of daily living: implications for formulating recommendations after total elbow arthroplasty
Reference – Roos G.A. Duijn, Daniëlle Meijering, Riemer J.K. Vegter, Friederike Albers, Alexander L. Boerboom, Denise Eygendaaland and others. Elbow joint loads during simulated activities of daily living: implications for formulating recommendations after total elbow arthroplasty. Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery Vol. 33Issue 1p145–155. Published online: September 7, 2023
DOI: 10.1016/j.jse.2023.07.042 Also available on ScienceDirect
PAPER 2
Randomized trial for the treatment of posttraumatic elbow stiffness: surgical release vs. rehabilitation
Reference -César L B Guglielmetti, Mauro E C Gracitelli, Jorge H Assunção, Fernando B Andrade-Silva, Mariana M Nicolosi Pessa, Maria Candida Luzo, Arnaldo A Ferreira Neto, Eduardo A Malavolta. Randomized trial for the treatment of posttraumatic elbow stiffness: surgical release vs. rehabilitation. Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery 2020 Aug;29(8):1522-1529. Epub 2020 Jun 9.
PMID: 32713463 DOI: 10.1016/j.jse.2020.03.023
Scapular Fractures – 7pm, 12 February 2025
In this episode the following papers will be discussed.
PAPER 1
Epidemiology – are all scapular fractures high energy?
Reference – V Schmidt, S Mukka, C Bergdahl, C Ekholm, A Bruggemann, O Wolf. Epidemiology, treatment, and mortality of 3973 scapula fractures from the Swedish fracture register. J Shoulder Elbow Surg. 2025 Jan;34(1):e47-e56.
DOI: 10.1016/j.jse.2024.03.024. PMID: 38688421
PAPER 2
Scapular fractures – what should we fix?
Reference – M Daher, S Farraj, B El Hassan. Management of extra-articular scapular fractures: a narrative review and proposal of a treatment algorithm. Clin Orthop Surg. 2023 Oct;15(5):695-703. DOI: 10.4055/cios23031. PMID: 37811516.
PAPER 3
Scapular fractures – how do we fix them?
Reference – P Cole, Rubin J, Freeman G. Operative techniques in the management of scapular fractures. Orthop Clin North Am. 2013 Jul;44(3):331-43, viii. DOI: 10.1016/j.ocl.2013.04.001. PMID: 23827836
Elective Elbow – 7pm, 20 March 2024
You can watch the Elective Shoulder episode on our YouTube channel.
In the episode the following papers were discussed.
PAPER 1
Tennis Elbow
Reference – Ikonen J, Lähdeoja T, Ardern CL, Buchbinder R, Reito A, Karjalainen T. Persistent Tennis Elbow Symptoms Have Little Prognostic Value: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Clin Orthop Relat Res. 2022 Apr 1;480(4):647-660. doi: 10.1097/CORR.0000000000002058. PMID: 34874323; PMCID: PMC8923574.
PAPER 2
Revision Elbow Arthroplasty
Reference – Martinez-Catalan N, Nguyen NTV, Morrey ME, O’Driscoll SW, Sanchez-Sotelo J. Two-stage reimplantation for deep infection after total elbow arthroplasty. Shoulder & Elbow. 2022;14(6):668-676. doi:10.1177/17585732211043524
Elective Shoulder – 7pm, 22 May 2024
You can watch the Elective Shoulder episode on our YouTube channel.
In the episode the following papers were discussed.
PAPER 1
Arthroscopic capsular shift surgery in patients with atraumatic shoulder joint instability: a randomised, placebo-controlled trial
Jaggi A, Herbert RD, Alexander S, Majed A, Butt D, Higgs D, Rudge W, Ginn KA. Arthroscopic capsular shift surgery in patients with atraumatic shoulder joint instability: a randomised, placebo-controlled trial. Br J Sports Med. 2023 Dec;57(23):1484-1489. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2022-106596. Epub 2023 Jun 12. PMID: 37308285.
PAPER 2
Association between surgeon volume and patient outcomes after elective shoulder replacement surgery using data from the National Joint Registry and Hospital Episode Statistics for England: population based cohort study
Valsamis EM, Collins GS, Pinedo-Villanueva R, Whitehouse MR, Rangan A, Sayers A, Rees JL. Association between surgeon volume and patient outcomes after elective shoulder replacement surgery using data from the National Joint Registry and Hospital Episode Statistics for England: population based cohort study. BMJ. 2023 Jun 21;381:e075355. doi: 10.1136/bmj-2023-075355. PMID: 37343999; PMCID: PMC10283034.
Trauma Elbow – 7pm, 11 September 2024
You can watch the Trauma Elbow episode on our YouTube channel.
In this episode the following papers were discussed.
PAPER 1
Posterior surgical approaches to the elbow: a comparative anatomic study
Wilkinson JM, Stanley D.
Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery 2001 Jul-Aug;10(4):380-2
PAPER 2
Elbow dislocation approach for complex elbow fractures: a cadaveric study
Liu Y, Gao Y, Xu X, Zhao Y, Wang H, Sun Q, Zhao B, Wang S, Zhou J.
Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery and Research (2023) 18:978
PAPER 3
Indomethacin for heterotopic ossification prophylaxis following surgical treatment of elbow trauma: a randomized controlled trial
Atwan Y, Abdulla I, Grewal R, Faber KJ, King GJW, Athwal GS.
Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery 32 1242-48
Trauma Shoulder – 7pm, 18 November 2024
You can watch the Trauma Elbow episode on our YouTube channel.
PAPER 1
One Versus 3-Week Immobilization Period for Nonoperatively Treated Proximal Humeral Fractures: A Prospective Randomized Trial
Raquel Martínez 1, Fernando Santana 2, Albert Pardo 2, Carlos Torrens 2
J Bone Joint Surg Am 2021 Aug 18;103(16):1491-1498. PMID: 34101691 DOI: 10.2106/JBJS.20.02137
PAPER 2
Reverse shoulder arthroplasty or nothing for patients with displaced proximal humeral fractures: a randomized controlled trial
Joan Miquel, PhDa Elisa Cassart, PhDb Fernando Santana, PhDc Raquel Martínez, PhDd,e
Laura Valls, MDe Mònica Salomó-Domènech, MDa Carlos Torrens, PhDc
Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery Volume 33, Issue 10 p2187-2195 October 2024 DOI: 10.1016/j.jse.2024.02.023