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Sports Medicine Service

The Sports Medicine Service at the Singapore General Hospital deals with treatment and prevention of sports and exercise-related injuries. Our patients include recreational and elite athletes, but can potentially be any individual who want to maintain an active lifestyle. Our primary aim is to help our patients return to their favourite sporting activities in the shortest timeframe possible, and to perform at their highest level.

The Sports Medicine Service consists of a team of dedicated physicians who are passionate about treating athletic injuries concerning the musculoskeletal system. We work in a multi-disciplinary setting which includes sports physicians, physiotherapists, and nurse clinicians. Each patient is thoroughly evaluated, and treatment is customised according to individual patient needs, sporting goals and lifestyle choices.

Treatment choices vary and range from the following:

Conservative measures: advise on lifestyle modification, technical tips on sports participation, rehabilitation or exercise regimen, nutrition, medications to reduce pain/inflammation, injections (such as steroids, platelet rich plasma, viscosupplementation), ultrasound or extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT).

Surgical treatment when indicated; this can be done through minimally invasive techniques or open surgery. Arthroscopy is a form of keyhole surgery commonly performed by sports surgeons. Here, we use a miniature camera and specialised instruments inserted into a joint through small incisions, allowing the whole joint to be clearly visualised, and to perform therapeutic procedures to treat the disorder. Most of the surgeries performed by the Sports Medicine Service are now done via this arthroscopic approach, allowing smaller scars, less pain and faster recovery.

The Sports Medicine Service treats a wide variety of  joint disorders, and sports and exercise injuries, which can be broadly divided based on body regions.

Overview of conditions and surgical procedures performed by the Sports Medicine Service

Shoulder

  • Shoulder instability, dislocations
    • Arthroscopic Bankart repair
    • Arthroscopic remplissage procedure
    • Arthroscopic capsular plication
    • Bony augmentation procedures of the glenoid or proximal humerus, e.g. Laterjet
  • Superior labrum anterior-posterior (SLAP) tears
    • Arthroscopic SLAP repairs
    • Arthroscopic or mini-open biceps tenodesis
    • Arthroscopic biceps tenotomy
  • Frozen shoulder
    • Mostly conservative treatment with physiotherapy, anti-inflammatory medications
    • Arthroscopic capsular release in recalcitrant cases
  • Rotator cuff disorders e.g, tendinitis, tears, cuff arthropathy
    • Arthroscopic rotator cuff repair
    • Tendon transfers
    • Superior capsule reconstruction
    • Reverse shoulder arthroplasty
  • Shoulder arthritis
    • Shoulder replacement: total shoulder arthroplasty, reverse shoulder arthroplasty
    • Arthroscopic treatment in carefully selected cases
  • Fractures around the shoulder
    • Open reduction internal fixation using minimally invasive techniques where possible 
    • Shoulder replacement

Elbow

  • Tendon disorders, e.g, tennis elbow, golfer's elbow
    • Majority of cases are treated conservatively
    • Minimally invasive tendon debridement – Tenex procedure
    • Arthroscopic tennis elbow release
  • Elbow instability
    • Ligament reconstruction (e.g, medial collateral ligament, lateral ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction)
  • Elbow stiffness and arthritis
    • Arthroscopic/open capsular release
    • Elbow replacement
  • Fractures around the elbow
    • Open reduction internal fixation
    • Elbow replacement

Hip

  • Femoroacetabular impingement (FAI)
    • Arthroscopic FAI resection (bony reshaping of the acetabulum and proximal femur)
    • Arthroscopic subspine decompression
  • Labral tears
    • Arthroscopic labral repair or debridement
    • Arthroscopic labral reconstruction
  • Hip cartilage defects
    • Cartilage resurfacing: microfracture, autologous membrane induced chondrogenesis, osteochondral autograft or allograft
  • Snapping hip
    • Majority of cases respond well to conservative treatment
    • Peritrochanteric arthroscopy with arthroscopic iliotibial band lengthening
    • Arthroscopic iliopsoas release
  • Hip abductor tears
    • Peritrochanteric arthroscopy with hip abductor tendon repair and augmentation
  • Hip dysplasia
    • Pelvic osteotomy e.g, Periacetabular osteotomy
    • Arthroscopic treatment in carefully selected cases
  • Post-traumatic hip disorders
    • Corrective femoral osteotomy
    • Total hip replacement
  • Hip arthritis
    • Total hip replacement

Knee

  • Meniscus tears
    • Arthroscopic meniscal repair and augmentation
    • Arthroscopic partial menisectomy
    • Meniscal allograft transplantation
  • Ligament tears e.g, anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), posterior cruciate ligament (PCL), medial collateral ligament (MCL), and posterolateral corner (PLC) injuries
    • Ligament reconstruction
  • Patella instability
    • Medial patellofemoral ligament (MPFL) reconstruction
    • Lateral release
    • Tibia tubercle osteotomy
  • Knee cartilage defects
    • Cartilage resurfacing: microfracture, autologous membrane induced chondrogenesis, osteochondral autograft or allograft, autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI)
    • Corrective osteotomy to restore alignment of the lower limb
  • Knee arthritis
    • Arthroscopic treatment/chondro-regeneration
    • Unicondylar knee replacement
    • Total knee replacement