Profile

Specialist knee surgeon and leading worldwide authority on osteotomy surgery

MATT DAWSON

Matt Dawson is a leading knee surgeon based in the North of England specialising in sports injuries and degenerative conditions affecting the knee. Matt is a leading authority on osteotomy surgery in the UK, Europe and around the globe.

Having completed his orthopaedic training in London and a sports knee fellowship in Dublin, Matt served as a specialist knee and trauma surgeon at North Cumbria University Hospital for 22 years before moving into a full time private knee specialist role. During this time Matt established a knee fellowship which attracted senior trainees from around the UK and hosted short term fellowships for surgeons attending from around Europe. Matt currently works at Circle Lancaster.

Matt performs a wide range of knee procedures including arthroscopy, femoral and tibial osteotomy, total and partial knee replacement, articular cartilage surgery, single and multiple ligament reconstruction, patella realignment and stabilisation and a range of combined complex procedures for deformity and instability. Matt has developed possibly the largest UK practice in simple and complex osteotomy with over 1000 cases performed to date but also offers a high volume practice of knee replacement with over 2000 total knee and unicompartmental knee replacements to date. He also includes personalised knee replacement surgery (Conformis implant) in his repertoire as science safely endorses the value of such new technology. This underpins a breadth of competency to safely provide an evidence-based approach to individual patient assessment and treatment.

Matt believes in the principle of joint preservation in order to prolong knee activity and function to the highest level for as long as possible. His philosophy is to individually assess patients with the appreciation that alignment and stability of the knee are the bedrock to successful knee function and successful surgery. Wherever a major intervention may be required Matt believes in patient choice and the possibility of a patient retaining their own knee joint where it may be possible, reasonable, and appropriate on the basis of evidence. Matt uses Patient Specifc Instrumentation (PSI) where indicated for both osteotomy and knee replacement surgery. Matt has educated the current generation of UK osteotomy and knee surgeons having been at the vanguard of the revolution in osteotomy practice in Europe over the past 2 decades. His involvement in teaching at his own course and internationally as an invited speaker has contributed to the education of 1000s of current and aspiring surgeons

Matt has comprehensive experience in ligament reconstruction surgery and has performed in excess of 1000 ACL reconstruction procedures utilising a range of graft materials according to indication. Matt therefore utilises hamstring, patella tendon-bone, quadriceps and occasionally allograft tissue for primary and revision procedures. Sometimes the procedures are combined with reinforcement procedures to improve the chances of long term success and osteotomy where realignment may be required.

Matt is committed to the education of healthcare professionals. In addition to the established knee fellowship, in June 2015 Matt launched the Northern Osteotomy Masterclass and runs this acclaimed course which attracts experts from around the globe and provides high-quality training for consultants and the surgeons of tomorrow. Matt is a founder member of UK Knee Osteotomy Registry (UKKOR), the world’s first national osteotomy registry whose database is dedicated to knee realignment (osteotomy) surgery.

Matt is in demand to lecture locally, nationally and internationally on a frequent basis. Matt regularly publishes in peer-reviewed journals on the subject of osteotomy. Matt has recently completed a landmark international consensus study in the journal of Knee Surgery, Sports Traumatology, Arthroscopy (KSSTA) (May 2024) which is the official clinical journal of European Society of Sports Traumatology, Knee Surgery and Arthroscopy (ESSKA). This significant study will provide a reference framework for future osteotomy surgeons worldwide and was possible because Matt was the chair of the ESSKA osteotomy committee from 2019 to 2022 which facilitated the launch of this major project. Matt continues to serve as committee member in the ESSKA organisation.

Outside of work Matt has been married to his wife Jo for over 28 years and together they have four children. He is a long-suffering lifelong Newcastle United fan. Matt enjoys family life, cycling, all sports and walking Walter the dog and Eddie his hyperactive spaniel!