Mr James graduated from Melbourne University (MBBS) and did his primary surgical training at the Repatriation Hospital, Melbourne. He completed his Orthopaedic Specialist Training (FRACS) with the Australian Orthopaedic Association and then undertook further subspecialty Fellowships. The first in Knee Arthroscopy / Ligament Reconstruction Surgery was undertaken with Dr Neil Thompson in Sydney; one of Australia’s pioneers of knee arthroscopy. This was followed by a Joint Replacement Fellowship at the Brigham & Women’s Hospital in conjunction with Harvard University Boston, USA, under the tutorage of Dick Scott, Tom Thornhill and Fred Ewald. His third placement was a Hip Replacement Fellowship under the mentorship of Robin Ling and the Exeter Group in Exeter, England.

Robotic Assisted Knee Replacement Surgery:

Throughout his career, Mr James has been involved with the design and development of instrumentation platforms utilised for the performance of Total Knee Replacement surgery. After being involved with the development of conventional mechanical instrumentation he then moved to the utilisation of CAS (Computer Aided Surgery) and optical navigation platforms. Over recent years he has been a frequent visitor to the USA, collaborating with other Orthopaedic Surgeons, Engineers and Software Technicians developing a Robotic Surgical Assistant platform for application for total and partial knee replacement surgery.

Knee Arthroscopy Under Local Anaesthetic:

Mr James developed an interest in Knee Arthroscopy under Local Anaesthetic (KALA) in his early post graduate years whilst working in the UK. Although not common in Australia, it is a favoured and popular technique offered in subspecialty centres throughout Europe and North America. In addition to avoiding the need for general or spinal anaesthesia, having their procedure performed under local anaesthetic provides patients an opportunity to see ‘live on screen’ the condition of their knee and discuss their injury and surgery in real time with the surgeon. The majority of knee arthroscopy presentations are suitable for surgery under local anaesthetic. After discussing the surgery required, Mr James leaves the decision on anaesthesia, local verses general anaesthesia up to the patient..

ACL Reconstruction:

Mr James has also developed and refined a method of hamstring ACL reconstruction that obviates the need for metallic fixation devices. This not only makes the surgery less expensive but allows further MRI scan in the future without image distortion in the presence of metal.

Total Hip Replacement:

Mr James is a proponent of small incision, minimally invasive hip replacement surgery. Where appropriate, he utilises pre-operative 2D to 3D dynamic imaging and CT guided modelling to optimise component sizing and positioning during surgery.

Outside interests

After returning from his postgraduate fellowships in the US and UK, Mr James took up practice in Bendigo preferring to work in a major regional rather than a capital city centre. Initially attracted by the charm of Bendigo’s Victorian architecture and has since enjoyed the challenge of several restorations. The BOSM practice itself is housed within a charming ‘Victorian era’ School building ‘repurposed’ for the task.

Outside of Orthopaedics Mr James has been ‘Hunting and Collecting’ classic and vintage motorcycles since his teens. He enjoys both the restoration and riding of his old bikes when and wherever the opportunity presents. He has recently been recommissioning the Black Swan Hotel in Bendigo as a vintage motorcycle themed café – bar for like-minded enthusiasts to meet and share their passion.

Practice information

• Located at 176 Barnard St, Bendigo opposite the Queen Elizabeth Oval
• Open Monday to Friday 8.30am – 5.30pm
• Mr James consults in the rooms Monday to Wednesday (and some Thursday afternoons)
• ‘On the day’ appointments are available for patients with urgent problems
• Ph 03 5442 5288 www.bosm.com.au

Mr James works in public and private hospitals. He does regular clinics at The Bendigo Hospital and participates in the orthopaedic on-call roster. Mr James is actively involved with supervision of advanced orthopaedic trainees and has continued to travel regularly to the USA, Europe and Asia to attend or present at educational forums.