James Murray

MA FRCS (Tr and Orth) MB BChir (Cantab)

James started his practice as an orthopaedic consultant in Bristol in 2007. He holds an elective NHS Consultant post at The Avon Orthopaedic Centre in Southmead Hospital, North Bristol NHS Trust, where he is the Specialty Lead for Knee Surgery and Co-Lead of the Regional Knee Network, previously having been Director for Elective Orthopaedics 2017 – 2020 and Director for Trauma from 2008-2012. James is an Honorary Lecturer at the University of Bristol Medical School.

James graduated from Cambridge University, underwent basic surgical training in Oxford before working in knee and hip research in Newcastle. He then entered orthopaedic specialist training in the Wessex Deanery and won the EndoPlus Knee Prize in 2005. In 2006, he spent a Fellowship year in Sydney, Australia at the internationally renowned Australian Institute of Musculoskeletal Surgery, gaining valuable experience in sports injuries and joint replacement surgery under the supervision of Merv Cross, whilst also spending time with Leo Pinczewski, David Wood and Justin Roe. That same year he was awarded the British Association of Surgery for the Knee travelling fellowship.  

James has a keen research and training interest having written numerous published peer-reviewed papers (89) and one book, A to Z of Musculoskeletal and Trauma Radiology, which was published in June 2008. He is also a current reviewer for scientific journals, including the Bone and Joint Journal and The Knee, having previously reviewed for Injury, Acta Orthopaedica and Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research. James leads on a number of trials and contributes to others as a co-investigator; he works closely with his colleagues as a member of the Bristol Knee Group which carries out research and teaching related to knee surgery both in the UK and internationally. He is a member of both national (BASK Working Groups for Meniscus, Injury Prevention, Arthroplasty and Revision Knee Surgery) and international collaborative consensus groups (International Consensus Meeting for Prosthetic Joint Infection 2018 and Arthroscopic Matrix Meniscal Repair). James is the current BASK (British Association of Surgery for the Knee) Secretary, sitting on the BASK Executive since March 2019. Having served as treasurer to the Biological Knee Society in 2022, James was elected President of the BKS in 2023.

His extensive experience has enabled him to offer a comprehensive knee service from ligament reconstruction, meniscal and cartilage surgery, osteotomy, partial, total and revision knee replacement. He co-leads the South West North Revision Knee Network which runs via weekly multidisciplinary team meetings, and a weekly prosthetic joint infection clinic at Southmead Hospital. He is well-known to encourage early post-operative mobility with enhanced recovery techniques, such as minimally-invasive muscle-sparing knee joint replacement, avoidance of tourniquets and local anaesthetic infiltrative techniques.

James has a keen sporting interest, previously playing competitive squash, athletics and rugby, but now he tends to be more of a spectator, but still coaches rugby, plays recreational squash and loves skiing! He is also a keen pianist, playing anything from Blues to Classical.  He is married to a local GP at Bristol University Students' Health Service and together they have three children.

Procedures

Joint Preservation

Meniscal repair – bucket handle tear, root tears, radial tears.
Complex and revision meniscal repair – including Chondrogide wrapping
Knee ligament reconstruction
Chondral regenerative surgery
Chondroplasty and removal of loose bodies
Partial meniscectomy
Patella realignment
Patella stabilisation
Osteotomy - tibial and femoral
Meniscal replacement - allograft and prosthetic (Actifit and NUsurface)

Joint Replacement

Partial knee replacement - medial, lateral and patellofemoral
Total knee replacement
Patient specific instrumentation
Revision knee replacement

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