About Dr Peter Lam
MBBS (Hons) FRACS FAOrthoA
Dr Lam has particular expertise in sports related injuries of the foot and ankle including in the use of arthroscopic (keyhole) surgery.
Dr Peter Lam is a nationally and internationally recognised Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Surgeon. Dr Lam uses the latest techniques in minimally invasive surgery (MIS) for the correction of bunions and certain forefoot deformities and arthritis of the big toe metatarsophalangeal joint. He also has particular interest in ligament reconstruction, realignment surgery and treatment of ankle/hindfoot arthritis. Dr Lam performs surgery at North Shore Private Hospital, Castlecrag Private Hospital, St George Private Hospital and East Sydney Private Hospital.
Dr Lam graduated from the University of Sydney Medical School with honours and completed his orthopaedic training in Sydney. This was followed by further training studying under the supervision of world renowned Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Surgeons, Dr Mark Myerson and Dr Lew Schon in Baltimore, MD, USA. Dr Myerson was the President of the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society in 2004-2005. Dr Schon was the President of the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society in 2012-2013.
Dr Lam began practice in Sydney in 1999. He has been invited to present at national and international conferences. He has also published in prestigious peer reviewed orthopaedic journals such as Foot and Ankle Clinics and Foot and Ankle International.
Dr Lam was an invited international guest speaker at the American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society meeting on Minimally Invasive Foot Surgery in October 2020, European Foot and Ankle Society Annual Congress in 2020 and 2021, 8th Scientific Meeting of the Asian Federation of Foot and Ankle Surgeons in 2021.
Previously, he has been an invited speaker on minimally invasive bunion correction surgery at the combined IFFAS (International Federation of Foot and Ankle Societies) and AOFAS (American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society) meeting in Chicago in 2014 and at the British Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (BOFAS) Annual Scientific Meeting in Brighton, England in 2014. Dr Stephen Bendall (President of the BOFAS) invited Dr Lam to present on current thinking on minimally invasive surgery: in hallux valgus correction, in correction of toe deformities and joint sparing surgery for treatment of first metatarsophalangeal joint arthritis.
Dr Lam has also been an invited Member of the Faculty at the 4th International Foot and Ankle Minimally Invasive Surgery Congress in July 2015 in Barcelona, Spain and an invited Member of the Faculty at the 7th International Basic Foot and Ankle Minimally Invasive Surgery Course in Sydney in December 2015 as well as an invited Member of the Faculty at the 7th International Advanced Foot and Ankle Minimally Invasive Surgery Course in Sydney in December 2015.
Dr Lam was an invited international guest speaker at the Canadian Orthopedic Association Annual Scientific Meeting in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada in June 2018. Dr Kevin Wing, President of the Canadian Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society, invited Dr Lam to present on minimally invasive bunion and forefoot correction surgery.
Dr Lam is a fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons. He is a member of the Australian Orthopaedic Association, Australian Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society, American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society and Australian Medical Association. Dr Lam is a member of GRECMIP (Groupe de Recherché et d’Enseignement en Chirurgie Mini-Invasive du Pied – Group of research and study in minimally invasive surgery of foot and ankle).
The new less invasive surgery to remove bunions
body+soul magazine - The Sunday Telegraph, June 2015.
Orthopaedic foot and ankle surgeon Dr Peter Lam says not many people are aware of this new procedure. He’s one of just a handful of surgeons in Australia who are currently carrying out MIT, but he expects it to eventually replace the current technique, as more and more surgeons get trained on it.
Lam learnt the technique in Europe and has treated about 1200 people in the past four years. He says, “The recovery time is quicker and the chance of the bunion growing back is extremely low.”
He explains this is because the procedure enables a greater shift of the bone than the traditional open technique, so allows for greater correction.
It also maintains the mobility of the joint at the base of the big toe, whereas the previous technique can lead to permanent stiffness in that joint.
Lewis TL, Robinson PW, Ray R, Goff TAJ, Dearden PMC, Whitehouse MR, Lam P, Dracopoulos G. The Learning Curve of Third-Generation Percutaneous Chevron and Akin Osteotomy (PECA) for Hallux Valgus. J Foot Ankle Surg. 2023 Jan-Feb;62(1):162-167. doi: 10.1053/j.jfas.2022.06.005. Epub 2022 Jun 18. PMID: 35868982.
Lewis TL, Robinson PW, Ray R, Dearden PMC, Goff TAJ, Watt C, Lam P. Five-Year Follow-up of Third-Generation Percutaneous Chevron and Akin Osteotomies (PECA) for Hallux Valgus. Foot Ankle Int. 2023 Feb;44(2):104-117. doi: 10.1177/10711007221146195. Epub 2023 Jan 24. PMID: 36692121.
Nunes GA, Ferreira GF, Baumfeld T, Filho MVP, Baumfeld D, Lam P. Minimally Invasive Chevron Akin: Locking The Metatarsal-Cuneiform Joint. Foot Ankle Spec. 2022 Feb 22:19386400221079155. doi: 10.1177/19386400221079155. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 35193413.
Ferreira GF, Nunes GA, Mattos E Dinato MC, Pedroso JP, Lewis TL, Lam P, Filho MVP. Technique Tip: Medial prominence bone spur resection in the third-generation percutaneous Chevron-Akin Osteotomy Technique (PECA) for hallux valgus correction. Foot Ankle Surg. 2022 Jun;28(4):460-463. doi: 10.1016/j.fas.2021.11.004. Epub 2021 Nov 21. PMID: 34838427.
Lewis TL, Ray R, Robinson P, Dearden PMC, Goff TJ, Watt C, Lam P. Percutaneous Chevron Akin (PECA) osteotomies for severe hallux valgus deformity with mean 3 year follow up. Foot Ankle International 2021 Vol 42(10)1231-1240
Robinson PW, Lam P. Percutaneous Surgery for mild to severe hallux valgus. Techniques in Foot & Ankle Surgery. 2020 Vol19 (2) 76-83
Lee M, Walsh J, Smith MM, Ling J, Wines A, Lam P. Hallux Valgus Correction Comparing Percutaneous Chevron/Akin (PECA) and Open Scarf/Akin Osteotomies. Foot Ankle Int. 2017 Aug;38(8):838-846. doi: 10.1177/1071100717704941. Epub 2017 May 5.
Lam P, Lee M, Xing J, Di Nallo M. Percutaneous Surgery for Mild to Moderate Hallux Valgus. Foot Ankle Clin. 2016 Sep;21(3):459-77. doi: 10.1016/j.fcl.2016.04.001.
