Mr Phil Johnston

Mr Johnston is a specialist in treatment of conditions of the upper limb, especially of the hand and wrist. He is a strong proponent for “WALANT” surgery where appropriate, which stands for “wide-awake, local anaesthetic, no tourniquet”. This technique avoids the need for, and risks of, regional or general anaesthetic for operations where such a technique does not compromise surgical outcome or safety. Common surgical procedures include carpal tunnel decompression, trigger finger release, treatments for Dupuytren's contracture, trapeziectomy and other operations for hand and wrist osteoarthritis. He also undertakes treatments for traumatic conditions including fixation of wrist fractures (distal radius and scaphoid) and reconstruction following these injuries (osteotomy for distal radius malunion and bone grafting and fixation for scaphoid non-union) and has developed a regional referral practice in complex wrist and forearm injury. The British Society for Surgery of the Hand (BSSH) collects surgeon-specific outcome data for trapeziectomy and his scores are better than the national average. Similarly, his BSSH outcome scores for Dupuytren's surgery are on par with the national average. Mr Johnston was educated at Eastbourne College in East Sussex and read Medicine at Cambridge University (Downing College) and the Clinical School at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge, qualifying as a doctor in 1995. He maintains his up-to-date knowledge base having acted as faculty for two major international courses: previously the BSSH Instructional Series, which provides a complete curriculum for postgraduate hand & wrist surgery for senior trainees and Consultants, and as Chairman of the AOUKI Principles of Fracture Management course, developing trauma skills in aspiring orthopaedic trainees. In addition, he is the Training Committee Chair for Orthopaedics, leading the surgical educators supervising 75 registrars in 15 hospitals across East Anglia, ensuring that the highest clinical standards are maintained by the next generation of orthopaedic surgeons. Outside work, Mr Johnston enjoys spending time with his family and dogs. Having grown up on a rural dairy farm, he remains a keen countryman and enjoys cycling, walking and gardening.

Distal radius fracture; Distal radius osteotomy; Ulnar shortening osteotomy Scaphoid fracture, scaphoid non-union Dupuytren's contracture Carpal tunnel syndrome Post wrist injury reconstruction Trapeziectomy Osteoarthritis hand and wrist Peripheral nerve surgery Cubital tunnel syndrome Trigger finger Trigger thumb Wrist pain