Massive cuff tears and scapular disorders: cadaver course on tendon transfer, reverse shoulder arthroplasty, and beyond

Please find the detailed programme below. The programme might be subject to minor changes and will be kept up to date.

Friday 30-01-2026: Massive cuff tears

8:00-8:30 Registration

8:30-8:40 What is reparable/ What is irreparable? - Pol Huysmans

8:40-8:50 Basics of tendon transfers - Jean-David Werthel 

8:50-9:00 How to measure force around the shoulder? - Dominiek Vandenbosch

9:00-9:15 Pectoralis transfer for irreparable subscapularis tear - Matthijs Jacxsens      

9:15-9:30 Latissimus Dorsi transfer for irreparable subscapularis tear - Jean Kany

9:30-9:40 Registries - Eva De Vries

9:40-9:50 Multicentric studies template SECEC - Anne Karelse

10:00-10:30 Break

10:30-12:00 Practical sessions

• Surgeons: cadaver training - Pectoralis Major and/or Latissimus Dorsi transfer for Subscapularis tears
• Physiotherapists:
  • Half of the group (max 20) joins the cadaver session
  • Other half follows a clinical shoulder workshop: see information on content below

12:00-13:00 Lunch

13:00-13:15 Latissimus Dorsi transfer for posterosuperior cuff tear - Filip Verhaegen

13:15-13:30 Lower Trapezius transfer for posterosuperior cuff tear - Bassem Elhassan

13:30-13:45 Reverse Shoulder Prosthesis + Latissimus Dorsi - Bart Berghs

13:45-14:00 Rehab after cuff repair - Dorien Borms

14:00-14:15 Surgical treatment after Parsonage Turner - Wim Vanhove

14:15-14:45 The green shoulder circle - Vincent Martinel

14:45 - 15:15 Break

15:15 - 17u15 Practical sessions

• Surgeons: cadaver training - Reversed shoulder arthroplasty + l'episcopo - open plexus exploration 
           
• Physiotherapists: Switch of groups
  • Half of the group (max 20) joins the cadaver session
  • Other half follows a clinical shoulder workshop

17u15 End of day

Information on workshop for physiotherapists:

In cases of serratus anterior dysfunction, we used to frequently teach patients to consciously “stabilize” their scapula. Time for a paradigm shift: robustness throughout movement is more important than static stability, and conscious stabilization shows very low transfer to daily activities. In this workshop, you’ll learn how to elicit the synergistic action of the muscles around the scapula—based on the latest insights—without giving explicit instructions.

What can you expect? 

• From stability to robustness: Discover why a dynamic, mobile scapula is essential for functional recovery and how to apply this principle in your exercise therapy. 

• Implicit serratus anterior recruitment: Learn to select and adapt exercises that naturally stimulate the serratus anterior, without the patient needing to consciously focus on the scapula. 

• Practical application: Get hands-on with exercise formats that engage the serratus anterior in functional movement patterns, based on motor learning principles.

Saturday 31-01-2026: Scapular disorders

8:30-9:00 Registration

9:00-9:10 Normal thoracoscapular mobility - Alexander Van Tongel

9:10-9:25 Thoracoscapular motion and subacromial problems  - Annelies Maenhout

9:25-9:40 Scapular position and relevance in RSA - Paul Siegert

9:40-9:55 Scapular movement after RSA - Dominiek Vandenbosch

9:55-10:10 Scapular movement after anatomic shoulder arthroplasty - Tjarco Alta

10:10-10:40 Informing ourselves to death. How to deal with the infodemic? - Ignaas Devisch

10:30-11:00 Break

11:00-11:30 STAM: clinical examination with patients - Bassem Elhassan

11:30-11:45 Tendon transfer for STAM - Jean-David Werthel 

11:45-12:00 Thoracoscapulair fusion for FSHD - Ofer Levy 

12:00-12:15 Transfer for Deltoid palsy - Bassem Elhassan

12:15 -13:15 Lunch

13:15-14:45 Cadaver session for surgeons (Physiotherapists optional)

• Half of the group: Arhtroscopy of Latissumus dorsi and Lower trapezius
• Other half of the group: live cadaver surgery
  • Thoracoscapular fusoin - Ofer Levy
  • Scapuloexy - Bassem Elhassan

14:45-15u15 Break

15u15-16u45 Cadaver session for surgeons (Physiotherapists optional)

• Switch in groups

16u45 End of day