Paul Jairaj joins Dubai-based sports medical centre Upandrunning

How has your experience led you to where you are today in orthopaedics?
I attended the prestigious Imperial College Scheme where I obtained the Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons of England qualification in both Surgery in General (FRCS Eng) and Orthopaedic Surgery (FRCS Orth). I also undertook American and European Fellowships. I have a central London practice consulting in the Shard where my specialised areas of interests are knee and hip arthroscopic surgery, joint preservation, and joint replacement surgery.

What has inspired you to branch out from your central London clinic to come and work in Dubai?
I believe Dubai is on track to be a global centre of excellence in multiple fields, including healthcare. I find the pace at which Dubai has grown in the last 20-30 years amazing. To think what it may achieve in another 20-30 years is very exciting.

What factors did you consider when selecting Upandrunning as your clinic of choice?
I have shared London-based patients with Upandrunning for many years and found their multidisciplinary team set up and their standard of care to be exceptional, and very much on par with the very best practices in central London. Their ethical way of working is very much aligned with my values.

What are the most common sporting injuries that you see?
I see a lot of labral tears and cartilage damage in association with impingement of the hip, which can occur through almost any sporting activity. In the knee, I commonly see meniscal tears and articular cartilage damage, as well as cruciate ligament ruptures, which again will occur through multiple sporting activities including running, football, tennis, skiing, golf, water sports, and more recently HIIT Training.

What would you do for a sporting patient who has fundamentally damaged the joint?
I conduct a lot of articular cartilage and stem cell repair techniques in hips and knees. These patients would often simply be directed straight to a joint replacement instead of offering this surgery to preserve the joint.

For those older patients where this is not a viable option, I use a 3D planned patient specific customised hip-and-knee implants which allow them to get back to their chosen sporting activity.

How can one reduce the risk of getting injured when training and exercising?
It is really important to have a programme of stretching, strength and conditioning and sports-specific exercises which should cover several disciplines to be built into your routine. This is something that should be discussed with the physiotherapist to make sure there is a balanced programme. We also underestimate the importance of good hydration and nutrition for our joints.

At the moment what cases are you seeing?
I am experiencing a whole host of injuries related to lack of preparation for training sessions and over exertion of muscles after prolonged periods of downtime. With changes in working habits and exercise, for example, less people going to the gyms, many people are taking up new exercises like running and HIIT for the first time, but don’t have the background stretching regime.

Paul is available for consultations at Upandrunning. To book, call +971 4 518 5400, email [email protected] or visit www.upandrunningdubai.com