Mr Sam Gidwani

I have been a Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon at Guy's and St Thomas' Hospitals, London for 13 years, and am an expert in both non-surgical and surgical treatment of disorders and injuries of the hand and wrist. I have a complex elective practice at Guy's, and also contribute to the regional hand trauma service at St Thomas'. I work closely with my radiology and hand physiotherapy colleagues, using surgical techniques only when necessary, and after careful discussion with my patients. I regularly treat musicians, as well as professional and amateur sportsmen and women - I was, for example, one of the specialists dealing with athletes’ hand and wrist injuries during the 2012 London Olympics.

I treat all conditions of the adult hand and wrist, including carpal and cubital tunnel syndrome, Dupuytren's disease, trigger finger, De Quervain's tendonitis and other tendon problems, osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. I have specific expertise in conditions of the wrist, and the use of joint replacement and fusion techniques for wrist, thumb and finger arthritis. I also regularly treat patients with hand and wrist fractures, and problems related to such injuries.

My own training included hand and wrist fellowships at renowned hand surgery units in Oxford, Derby and Brisbane. This training culminated in the award of the British Hand Surgery Diploma, and I am now an examiner for the same qualification.

As well as being a busy clinician, I am actively involved in the training of junior surgeons: I serve on the British Hand Surgery Society’s Instructional Course Committee, and am co-founder and convener of the St Thomas’ cadaveric hand trauma course. I am the fellowship director for the hand and wrist fellowship based within the Orthopaedic Department of Guy's Hospital.

I also acts as a reviewer for the European Journal of Hand Surgery. I am widely published, with over 20 papers in peer-reviewed journals. My own research interests include the treatment of scaphoid fractures, and the use of joint replacement in the hand and wrist.

Since 2013, I have been visiting Nepal on a regular (usually yearly) basis as a member of the Working Hands Charity team. Unfortunately, Covid-19 has disrupted this plan for the last two years, but we are restarting the project in 2022. The main focus of this visit is to see and treat patients whose hand function has been impaired by leprosy, usually using tendon transfer surgery. We also see quite a number of patients with contractures of the fingers following severe burns.