Mr Jacob Der Tavitian is a Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon at HMT St Hugh’s Hospital in Grimsby, specialising in shoulder and upper limb surgery. He treats shoulder, elbow, wrist and hand conditions, with a particular interest in sports injuries, joint instability and tendon and ligament problems. He has been a consultant since 2005 and works for Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.

Upper limb problems have a way of taking over daily life. A torn rotator cuff or a frozen shoulder makes sleep impossible. Tennis elbow turns a kettle into a problem. Mr Der Tavitian’s practice is built around getting an accurate diagnosis first, then treating with the least intervention that will actually work. Where surgery is needed, he uses keyhole techniques wherever they are suitable, which usually means smaller scars and a quicker recovery.

About Mr Der Tavitian

Mr Der Tavitian began his career in orthopaedic surgery in 1996. He spent a year as an orthopaedic research fellow at Leicester and Glenfield hospitals, then completed six years of higher surgical training in the South Trent region, working alongside a number of respected upper limb surgeons. He gained his FRCS in Orthopaedics in 2002 and his Certificate of Completion of Specialist Training in 2005.

He then completed two upper limb fellowships. The first was in Perth, Western Australia, under Dr Peter Hales. The second was at Wrightington Hospital, an internationally recognised upper limb centre, where he trained with Mr Mike Hayton and Professor Ian Trail. He was appointed as a consultant orthopaedic surgeon in December 2005.

His practice covers the whole upper limb: shoulder, elbow, wrist and hand. He has particular expertise in complex arthroscopic shoulder surgery, including keyhole shoulder stabilisation and rotator cuff repair, and in shoulder and elbow joint replacement, including reverse shoulder replacement. He also sits on the Smith and Nephew teaching faculty for arthroscopic surgery of the shoulder and elbow.

Alongside his clinical work, Mr Der Tavitian has presented research at national and international meetings and published in peer-reviewed journals. He trains junior doctors and orthopaedic surgeons in training, and is a member of the British Elbow and Shoulder Society, the British Orthopaedic Association and the British Society for Surgery of the Hand.

Areas of expertise

Shoulder

• Rotator cuff tears and rotator cuff repair
• Shoulder impingement
• Shoulder instability and recurrent dislocation
• Frozen shoulder (adhesive capsulitis)
• Shoulder arthritis
• Acromioclavicular (AC) joint problems
• Shoulder fractures
• Shoulder pain assessment

Elbow

• Tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis)
• Golfer’s elbow (medial epicondylitis)
• Elbow bursitis and tendonitis
• Distal biceps tendon rupture
• Elbow arthritis
• Elbow instability
• Elbow pain assessment

Wrist and hand

• Carpal tunnel syndrome
• Dupuytren’s contracture
• Wrist pain and wrist arthritis
• Wrist fractures
• Hand and wrist tendon problems

Sports injuries of the upper limb

• Joint instability
• Tendon injuries
• Ligament injuries
• Return to sport assessment and rehabilitation planning