Dr. Ken Yamaguchi | Shoulder and Elbow Surgeon | Washington University Orthopedics

Dr. Yamaguchi's practice is limited to the treatment of shoulder and elbow disorders in adults. Particular interests include the minimally invasive treatment of rotator cuff disorders and shoulder instability with arthroscopic surgery. Additionally, he has one of the largest shoulder and elbow arthritis practices in the country, doing a significant amount of total shoulder and total elbow replacements.

Common Diagnoses Treated

Elbow arthritis
Recurrent instability of the shoulder
Rotator cuff tear
Rotator cuff tendonitis
Shoulder arthritis
Stiff elbow
Stiff shoulder

Common Procedures

Arthroscopic instability repair
Arthroscopic release of stiff elbow
Arthroscopic rotator cuff repair
Elbow arthroscopy for arthritis
Total elbow replacement
Total shoulder replacement

Clinical Office Locations

Center for Shoulder & Elbow Surgery

Center for Advanced Medicine

4921 Parkview Place

St Louis, MO 63110
Washington University Orthopedics / Chesterfield

14532 S. Outer Forty Drive

Chesterfield, MO 63017

Hospital Affiliations

Barnes-Jewish Hospital
Veteran Affairs Medical Center (John Cochran)

Academic Office Mailing Address

Washington University School of Medicine

Campus Box 8233

660 Euclid Avenue

Saint Louis, MO 63110

Patient Education

Shoulder & Elbow patient education

Dr. Yamaguchi’s Videos

Physician Profile Video

Meet Dr. Yamaguchi’s Patients

Patient Resources

Patient Forms

Click here for patient forms.

Wall LB, Yamaguchi K, et al. Diagnostic performance and reliability of ultrasonography for fatty degeneration of the rotator cuff muscles. J Bone Joint Surg (A). 2012 June; 94:e83 1-9.
Omid R, Hamid N, Keener JD, Galatz LM, Yamaguchi K. Relation of the radial nerve to the anterior capsule of the elbow: anatomy with correlation to arthroscopy. Arthroscopy. 2012 Dec;28(12):1800-4. doi: 10.1016/j.arthro.2012.05.890. Epub 2012 Oct 16. PubMed PMID: 23079289.
Chafik D, Galatz LM, Keener J, Kim HM, Yamaguchi K. Teres minor muscle and related anatomy.
Nazarian LN, Jacobson JA, Benson CB, Bancroft LW, Bedi A, McShane JM, Miller TT, Parker L, Smith J, Steinbach LS, Teefey SA, Thiele RG, Tuite MJ, Wise JN, Yamaguchi K. Imaging algorithms for evaluating suspected rotator cuff disease: Society of Radiologists in Ultrasound consensus conference statement. Radiology. 2013 May;267(2):589-95. doi: 10.1148/radiol.13121947. Epub 2013 Feb 11. PubMed PMID: 23401583; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3632808.
Paxton ES, Teefey SA, Dahiya N, Keener JD, Yamaguchi K, Galatz LM. Clinical and radiographic outcomes of failed repairs of large or massive rotator cuff tears: minimum ten-year follow-up. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2013 Apr 3;95(7):627-32. doi: 10.2106/JBJS.L.00255. PubMed PMID: 23553298.
Namdari S, Skelley N, Keener JD, Galatz LM, Yamaguchi K. What is the role of arthroscopic debridement for glenohumeral arthritis? A critical examination of the literature. Arthroscopy. 2013 Aug;29(8):1392-8. doi: 10.1016/j.arthro.2013.02.022. Epub 2013 Apr 26. PubMed PMID: 23623293.
Nelson G, Wu T, Galatz LM, Yamaguchi K, Keener JD. Elbow arthroscopy: early complications and associated risk factors. J Shoulder Elbow Surg. 2013 Dec 13. pii: S1058-2746(13)00510-7. doi: 10.1016/j.jse.2013.09.026. PubMed PMID: 24332953.
Keener JD, Galatz LM, Stobbs-Cucchi G, Patton R, Yamaguchi K. Rehabilitation following arthroscopic rotator cuff repair: a prospective randomized trial of immobilization compared with early motion. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2014 Jan 1;96(1):11-9. doi: 10.2106/JBJS.M.00034. PubMed PMID: 24382719.
Surena Namdari, Ryan P. Donegan, Aaron M. Chamberlain, Leesa M. Galatz, Ken Yamaguchi, Jay D. Keener; Factors Affecting Outcome After Structural Failure of Repaired Rotator Cuff Tears. The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery. 2014 Jan;96(2):99-105.
Jain, Nitin B., Yamaguchi, Ken. The Contribution of Reverse Shoulder Arthroplasty to Utilization of Primary Shoulder Arthroplasty. The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery. In print June, 2014.
Gregory N. Nelson, Tiffany Wu, Leesa M. Galatz, Ken Yamaguchi, Jay D. Keener. Elbow arthroscopy: early complications and associated risk factors. The Journal of shoulder and elbow surgery/American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons ... [et al.] 1 February 2014 (volume 23 issue 2 Pages 273-278 DOI: 10.1016/j.jse.2013.09.026).
Yang JS, Keener JD, Yamaguchi K, Chen J, Stobbs-Cucchi G, Patton R, Galatz LM. Reliability of patient self-assessment of shoulder range of motion and strength after shoulder arthroplasty. J Shoulder Elbow Surg. JSES-D-14-00419R1. 2015 Jan;24(1):1-10. doi: 10.1016/j.jse.2014.08.025. Epub 2014 Oct 30. PubMed PMID: 25440517.
Kruse LM, Yamaguchi K, Keener JD, Chamberlain AM. Clinical outcomes after decompression of the nerve to the teres minor in patients with idiopathic isolated teres minor fatty atrophy. J Shoulder Elbow Surg. JSES-D-14-00173R1. 2014 Oct 29. pii: S1058-2746(14)00491-1. doi: 10.1016/j.jse.2014.08.018. PubMed PMID: 25440515.
Keener JD, Galatz LM, Teefey SA, Middleton WD, Steger-May K, Stobbs-Cucchi G, Patton R, Yamaguchi K. A prospective evaluation of survivorship of asymptomatic degenerative rotator cuff tears. J Bone Joint Surg Am. JBJS-D-14-00099R3. 2015 Jan 21;97(2):89-98. doi: 10.2106/JBJS.N.00099. PubMed PMID: 25609434.
Kelley NW, Namdari S, Chamberlain AM, Keener JD, Galatz LM, Yamaguchi K. Arthroscopic Debridement and Capsular Release for the Treatment of Shoulder Osteoarthritis. Arthroscopy. 2014 Nov 8. pii: S0749-8063(14)00733-6. doi: 10.1016/j.arthro.2014.08.025. PubMed PMID: 25442651.
Keener JD, Galatz LM, Teefey SA, Middleton WD, Steger-May K, Stobbs-Cucchi G, Patton R, Yamaguchi K. A prospective evaluation of survivorship of asymptomatic degenerative rotator cuff tears. J Bone Joint Surg Am. JBJS-D-14-00099R3. 2015 Jan 21;97(2):89-98. doi: 10.2106/JBJS.N.00099. PubMed PMID: 25609434.
Galatz LM, Aleem AW, Yamaguchi K, Gregory JM. Transverse Ulna Osteotomy for Revision Total Elbow Arthroplasty: Surgical Technique and Outcomes. JSES. Submitted for publication.
Yamaguchi K. Treatment of Non-Traumatic Rotator Cuff Tears: A Randomized Controlled Trial with 2 Years of Clinical and Imaging Follow Up. JBJS-D-14-01051. Submitted for publication.
Keener JK, Yamaguchi K, Chalmers PN. The Humeral Component in Shoulder Arthroplasty. Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Submitted for publication December, 2015.
Keener JD, Hsu JE, Steger-May K, Teefey SA, Chamberlain AM, Yamaguchi K. Patterns of tear progression for asymptomatic degenerative rotator cuff tears. J Shoulder Elbow Surg. 2015 Dec;24(12):1845-51. doi: 10.1016/j.jse.2015.08.038. PubMed PMID: 26589385.

Research Interests

His research program is focused on the natural history of rotator cuff disorders, clinical outcome of rotator cuff treatment, and the development of arthroscopic procedures. He is the recipient, as PI, of an OREF CDA and NIH R01 x3 grant funding in this area.

Clinical Interests

Background

Dr. Yamaguchi completed his residency training at George Washington University. He then completed fellowship training in shoulder surgery at the internationally recognized Shoulder Service at Columbian Presbyterian Medical Center in New York. This was followed by supplemental training in elbow surgery at the Mayo Clinic. In 1995, Dr. Yamaguchi founded the Shoulder and Elbow Service at Washington University, which has since become nationally and internationally recognized for innovations in shoulder and elbow surgery, as well as research on shoulder and elbow disorders. In 2006, the Service opened the Washington University Shoulder and Elbow Center, the first of its kind dedicated to the treatment of shoulder and elbow disorders. In December 2012, Dr. Yamaguchi received his MBA from the Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis.

Board Certifications

American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery, 1997 American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery, Recertification 2006

Medical Degree

George Washington University School of Medicine

Residency

Orthopaedic Surgery, George Washington University Medical Center

Fellowship

Shoulder & Elbow Surgery, Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center

Honors and Awards:

1989 Alpha Omega Alpha National Medical Society
1989 Kagoshima Kenjin Kai Achievement Award for Scholar, from Descendants of Kagoshima, Japan
1989 Julius Neviaser Award for Orthopaedic Surgery
1994 1st Place Residents Research Award, Washington Orthopaedic Society
1997 Emanuel B. Kaplan Award for anatomical excellence in surgery of the hand, American Society for Surgery of the Hand, 52nd Annual Meeting, Denver, CO, September, 1997.
1997 Awardee, John J. Fahey, MD, Memorial North American Traveling Fellowship
1998 Research Award, Society of Radiologists in Ultrasound
1999 Palma Chironis Teaching Award – Presented to one faculty member each year by the Residents for "Excellence in Teaching".
2000 Lee T. Ford Award for Academic Achievement
2002 Group 4.8: Outstanding Achievement in Orthopaedic Surgery Education
2003 Group 4.8: Outstanding Achievement in Orthopaedic Surgery Education
2004 1st Place Scientific Paper, 9th International Congress on Surgery of the Shoulder
2006 Recipient, Sam & Marilyn Fox Distinguished Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery
2012 Washington University School of Medicine Distinguished Faculty Award for Post Doctoral Education
2013 Class Ambassador Medallion - Awarded by fellow students of my MBA class to the person who best represented the values and goals of the program.
2013 e2 Resident Teaching award, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery
2014 2014 Kappa Delta Ann Doner Vaughn Award-“Natural History of Rotator Cuff Disease: Relationship to Surgical Indications; ORS for research representing a large body of cohesive scientific work generally reflecting years of investigation.
2014 Excellence in Education Award, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery

Washington University Orthopedics

Ken Yamaguchi, MD, MBA