One hundred and twelve patients who suffered from a 1st time dislocation of the shoulder were randomized to receive immobilization in external rotation and abduction (n=60) or surgery through an arthroscopic Bankart repair (n=52). The primary outcome of interest included rate of recurrence. Secondary outcomes included range of motion (ROM) and shoulder function (Constant-Murley score, subjective clinical shoulder scores, Rowe score, and the Western Ontario Shoulder Instability Index [WOSI]). Results revealed that the rate of recurrence was significantly lower in the surgical group compared to the immobilization group (p=0.016). Specifically, 9 cases of atraumatic and traumatic instability were observed in the immobilization group (n=9); 1 event of traumatic subluxation was observed in the surgery group. All secondary outcomes were not significantly different between the 2 groups (p>0.05 for all) at any of the timepoints.