Coming to 20 Years of Experience
Ankle Ligament Reconstruction is the surgical treatment of ankle injuries or damaged ankle ligaments to restore stability and function.
Co-developed by Orthopaedic Surgeon, Dr James Wee, the Minimally Invasive Surgical (MIS) “Lasso” technique has the distinction of achieving successful outcomes of percutaneous ankle ligament reconstruction with just a single 1cm incision. This is much smaller than 6 – 8cm needed for an open reconstruction.
The ankle ligaments are repaired using a single suture anchor, and the repair is reinforced by recruiting an adjacent band of tissue for additional strength.
Benefits:
Ankle sprains make up 50% of sports-related injuries, and are common among athletes and dancers. They usually occur when the ankle is twisted or rolled inwards/outwards under excessive force. This forces all the weight onto the outer edge of the foot, which stresses the ligaments on the outer side of the ankle, causing them to stretch out and lead to tears.
There are 3 types of ankle sprains based on the severity of ligament damage:
Slight stretch and microscopic tear of the ligament fibres with mild tenderness, bruising, and swelling around the ankle. Typically no pain with weightbearing and no instability upon examination.
Partial tear of the ligament with moderate tenderness, bruising, and swelling around the ankle. Mild pain with weightbearing and slight instability upon examination.
Complete tear of the ligament with significant tenderness, bruising, and swelling around the ankle. Severe pain with weightbearing and substantial instability upon examination.
Whether it’s a mild ankle sprain or something a little more serious, we treat each ankle sprain with the utmost care by personalising your treatment to your lifestyle needs. This includes:
Initial treatment for ankle sprains include the RICE method and prescription of certain medications to help reduce pain and inflammation of the ankle.
Our orthopaedic specialist may also recommend physiotherapy or the use of a functional brace to control and prevent excessive turning of the ankle.
Surgery is recommended if you develop ankle instability and recurrent sprains that persist after rehabilitative physiotherapy.
Our orthopaedic specialist may recommend minimally invasive surgery (MIS) to facilitate rapid recovery and early return to high-level sports and dance activities.
Dr. Wee will understand your history and thoroughly assess and diagnose your condition.
Dr. Wee will provide a personalised treatment plan specific to your preferences and needs.
Dr. Wee will monitor and review your progress throughout recovery for optimal long-term results.
Appointment
Upon submitting your appointment request, the clinic will contact you within 1 working day to confirm your appointment.
Consultation
Dr. Wee will understand your history and thoroughly assess and diagnose your condition.
Imaging / Investigations
Treatment
Review and Follow up
Here at Oxford Orthopaedics, Dr James Wee and Dr James Siow bring specialist orthopaedic training and advanced fellowship experience to foot and ankle care. In situations where symptoms have started to affect the way you walk, function, or manage day to day activities, this level of training brings greater depth to clinical assessment and the decisions that follow.
This can be helpful when the problem is less straightforward, or when a second opinion is required before proceeding with treatment. In such cases, a careful and thorough assessment can bring greater clarity to what’s driving the symptoms, how the different issues relate to one another, and what should be addressed first.
MBBS (S’pore), MRCS (Edin), MMed (Ortho), FRCS (Edin)(Ortho), FAMS (Ortho)
Dr James Wee is the Medical Director of Oxford Orthopaedics and a Senior Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon with over 20 years of clinical experience. Dual fellowship trained in Hip & Knee surgery and Foot & Ankle surgery; he completed advanced training at Oxford University Hospitals and the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital in London. He was also trained in the Oxford Partial Knee System by the inventor surgeons in Oxford.
This is reflected in a lower limb practice with a strong focus on partial knee replacement, while his hip and knee work also includes complex reconstruction, with robotic technology used where appropriate to support what’s best suited to each patient’s needs. His expertise also extends to minimally invasive surgery (MIS) for the foot and ankle, including bunion correction and ankle ligament work. In this area, he is also one of the specialists involved in developing the MIS Lasso technique.
MBBS (Singapore), MRCS (Edin), MMed (Ortho), FRCS (Edin)(Ortho)
Dr James Siow is a Senior Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon with fellowship training in Foot & Ankle surgery. Building on his orthopaedic training in Singapore, he later completed a full year Foot & Ankle Fellowship at Inselspital in Bern, Switzerland, under the Ministry of Health’s (MOH) Health Manpower Development Plan (HMDP) fellowship programme. This further strengthened his subspecialty expertise in advanced foot and ankle care.
This is reflected in a specialist foot and ankle practice that manages a wide range of conditions, with particular interest in bunion surgery and ankle surgery, while also covering deformity correction and more complex reconstructive work. His work also includes arthroscopic (keyhole) and minimally invasive surgery (MIS) techniques, used where appropriate to support function, recovery, and what’s best suited to each patient’s needs.
Dr James Wee is an Senior Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon with dual-subspecialties in both Hip & Knee and Foot & Ankle Surgery. He is a complete lower limb surgeon, coming to 20 years of clinical experience.
He was trained in the UK and is an expert in complex minimally invasive procedures as well as surgical intervention. He also co-published the “Lasso” Technique for ankle ligament reconstruction, a minimally invasive surgical (MIS) technique using only a single 1cm incision.
Aside from clinical practice, Dr Wee was appointed Adjunct Assistant Professor in Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, a Senior Lecturer in Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, and has authored multiple international peer-reviewed scientific journal articles.
Navigating the administrative side of healthcare can be complex, so our dedicated team aims to simplify this process, allowing you to focus on your recovery. Oxford Orthopaedics works closely with insurers throughout the claims and billing stages to help facilitate a smoother, more comfortable experience.
Because your coverage depends on your specific policy, we provide hands-on assistance for those under Integrated Shield plans (with private hospital riders) or Corporate Insurance plans. This includes helping you apply for a Letter of Guarantee (LOG) or a Pre-authorisation certificate, as well as working directly with surgical centres to help process medical claims on your behalf.
We’re here to help you live your life without any pain in your feet.