Tendon Transfer for Scapular Winging

This is a rare problem that can be debilitating for patients who experience it.  Often no cause is identified but typically a neurologic condition can affect the muscles that control the shoulder blade’s movement on the chest.  When these scapular stabilizing muscles don’t function appropriately, the shoulder also doesn’t function properly leading to painful loss of motion.  Unfortunately, this is frequently misdiagnosed as a more conventional rotator cuff problem and patients often go years without a proper diagnosis and treatment, often undergoing several surgical procedures that are inevitably unsuccessful.  

An Eden-Lange procedure is performed for patients with lateral winging (typically resulting from prior neck surgery) and pectoralis major transfers are quite successful for medial winging which we typically see in younger patients with a history of trauma.  Dr. Bak is one of the few surgeons in the state experienced in these problems and in their surgical correction.  When properly diagnosed, these problems can be fully corrected.