Dr Limbers completed his undergraduate medical education with First Class Honours at the University of New South Wales.

He then trained in orthopaedic surgery through the Australian Orthopaedic Association training program in Sydney and obtained his Fellowship (FRACS) with the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons in 2003.

Following his specialist training in Australia, Dr Limbers pursued international sub-specialty surgical experience at Addenbrooke’s University Hospital (Cambridge, England) and Cappagh National Orthopaedic Hospital (Dublin, Ireland). This focused his training on hip and knee replacement surgery, as well as reconstructive foot and ankle surgery, at high-volume surgical centres.

Dr Limbers has completed 3,000+ hip and knee replacement procedures during his 20+ year orthopaedic surgery career. He is an accredited robotic surgeon and has a special interest in Mako robotic hip and knee replacement surgery. He was the first surgeon in New South Wales to perform a Mako robotic total knee replacement operation, apart from pre-release clinical trials using the technology. He has now performed 2,000+ robotically assisted joint replacements, which is one of the largest series of any orthopaedic surgeon in Australia. Dr Limbers has performed the most Mako robotic anterior hip (minimally invasive approach) replacement surgery of any orthopaedic surgeon in NSW.

Robotically assisted total knee replacement offers reliably accurate kinematic alignment of the prosthetic components, potentially resulting in a lower incidence of implant failure and replacement. Research has also shown less damage to the soft tissues around the knee with this technique and recent research has also strongly suggested a quicker recovery in the first 6 weeks following this technique, when compared to instrumented total knee replacement.

Dr Limbers uses a lateral incision for total knee replacement surgery. This means that the incision is towards the outer side of the knee, instead of over the front. This avoids the scar and numbness over the front of the knee, meaning that patients are likely to be able to kneel comfortably and safely after their knee replacement. He uses multi-modal pain relief and local anaesthetic infiltration techniques to allow earlier mobilisation and discharge.

Dr Limbers also utilises the minimally-invasive anterior approach to total hip replacement surgery, which offers patients less scarring, accelerated rehabilitation and recovery, less post-operative pain and no functional restrictions in the post-operative period. He was one of the first surgeons in Australia to perform anterior Mako robotically assisted total hip replacement surgery. This results in highly accurate positioning of the components, based on the CT planning and robotically assisted surgery. The latest development in this technology utilises functional planning of spinopelvic kinematics. This takes into account the way the hip and spine interact during standing and sitting, potentially reducing the chance of postoperative hip dislocation in patients with a stiff spine.

Dr Limbers has a special interest in reconstructive foot and ankle surgery. This includes ankle arthrodesis, ankle and hindfoot reconstructive surgery and forefoot surgery. As an orthopaedic trauma surgeon, he is responsible for the management of complex major trauma and secondary reconstructions.

Dr Limbers has considerable experience in research and training. He is formerly an Australian Orthopaedic Association Director of Training. He is actively involved in the selection and training of orthopaedic trainees for the Australian Orthopaedic Association and Royal Australasian College of Surgeons and has presented at both national and international meetings and has clinical research publications and review articles in peer reviewed international journals.

He is cited in Apley’s System of Orthopaedics and Fractures.
He is married with five children. His other pursuits include reading, surfing, rugby union and violin. He also has an interest in aid projects in developing countries, and has organised and participated in voluntary work projects to Papua New Guinea, Tonga, The Philippines and Western Samoa.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Fellow of the Australian Orthopaedic Association (FAOrthA)
• Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (FRACS)(Orthopaedics)
• Bachelor of Medicine & Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS)(Hons 1)(UNSW)
• Bachelor of Science (Medicine)(UNSW)

SURGICAL TRAINING FELLOWSHIPS

• Addenbrooke’s University Hospital, Cambridge, UK (Hip & Knee Surgery)
• Cappagh National Orthopaedic Hospital, Dublin, Ireland (Foot & Ankle Surgery)

MEMBERSHIPS

• The Arthroplasty Society of Australia
• Australian Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society
• Australian Medical Association (AMA)

CONSULTING LOCATIONS

• Wahroonga
• Gosford
• Kanwal

HOSPITAL ACCREDITATIONS

• Sydney Adventist Hospital (SAN)
• Gosford Private Hospital
• Gosford Public Hospital
• Wyong Public Hospital
• Berkeley Vale Private Hospital

AREAS OF INTEREST

• Hip replacement & reconstruction surgery
• Knee replacement & reconstruction surgery
• Foot & Ankle surgery (bunions, fractures, etc)
• Robotic minimally invasive surgery

MEDIA & INTERVIEWS

• Hear John discuss surgery here.