How Does Clavicle Lengthening Affect The Scapula?

Q: Dr. Eppley, Hey Doctor, I saw your instagram post about shoulder widening by clavicle lengthening.. I had a question about lengthening the clavicles. 

If I remember my anatomy correctly, the clavicle is connected to the upper part of the scapula. How does clavicle lengthening contend with the position of the scapula? Put another way, how do you create the space to widen the clavicles, so to speak? Does the scapula move outward when the clavicle is widened or do the clavicles adopt a more inwardly slanted position to make room for the added width? Is it something else I hadn’t considered?

Speaking of which would there be any performance loss (athletic/range of motion/load bearing) after the surgery was complete?

Pardon my lack of knowledge on this subject. It seems like an excellent surgery, I’m just not certain of the ramifications of expanding bones in that way.

A: The clavicle is connected to the scale by the acromioclaviclar joint.The clavicle pushes out the scapula some what no differently than when you pull your shoulders back. The end of the clavicle pushes on the acromion process of the scapula across the joint interface.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapols, Indiana