Mr Abbas Rashid
Consultant Elbow & Shoulder Surgeon
Qualifications: BSc(Hons) MBBS FRCS(Tr&Orth)
Expertise: Evidence-based treatment of elbow and shoulder trauma, sports injuries, and degenerative conditions.
Sees adults and children
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Biography
Abbas graduated from Imperial College London with a distinction in MBBS (a combined medical and surgical degree), as well as a 1st class honours degree in BSc Orthopaedics. In 2012, he completed a Fellowship of the Royal Colleges of Surgeons (FRCS), and he has been on the General Medical Council’s Specialist Register since 2014.
Abbas completed fellowships at the internationally renowned Wrightington and Cambridge Upper Limb Units, followed by an AO Trauma Fellowship in Hanover, Germany.
In 2015, Abbas was awarded the Zimmer Upper Extremities Award by the British Orthopaedic Association, which facilitated visits to elbow units at Harvard, The Mayo Clinic and St Michael’s Hospital. In 2017, Abbas was awarded the Intra-Europe Travelling Award from the European Society of Shoulder & Elbow Surgeons, which allowed him to spend time at eight elbow specialist units in Europe.
In 2016, Abbas joined UCLH as a Consultant Elbow & Shoulder Surgeon. There, his work includes evidence-based treatment of complex upper limb trauma, including reconstructions, sports injuries, and degenerative conditions of the arms and shoulders. He takes referrals for complex elbow problems, and set up the London Elbow Specialists Group, which is based at our hospital. This is the first private group in the UK that deals exclusively with elbow problems.
Abbas’ mission is to translate research findings into the best results for his patients. He has written upper limb guidelines for the British Orthopaedic Association’s Wikipaedics project, has published widely in peer-reviewed journals, and has also written a number of book chapters.
Abbas has an interest in postgraduate education and can often be found teaching at a number of trauma and upper limb surgery courses run by the Fellowship of the Royal Colleges of Surgeons.
Abbas is a member of General Medical Council (GMC), Royal College of Surgeons (RCS), British Elbow and Shoulder Society (BESS) and European Shoulder & Elbow Society (SECEC).
Summer Sports Injuries - Q&A
Summer is the perfect time to play more sport or take up something new. With so many tournaments, including Wimbledon, The Open, and The Ashes, taking place during the warmer months, there’s plenty to inspire and motivate us to get out and get moving.
However, without care and attention, and particularly if you’re a little out of practice, it’s easy to get injured.
Here, Abbas gives us some insider knowledge on injuries he commonly sees in his clinic, and shares his tips for avoiding getting hurt, so you can get the most out of the summer months.
What are some common injuries you see?
Broadly speaking, you can divide them into two groups. The first is people slipping and falling when they’re out and about. The other is repetitive overuse, which can result from playing sport.
So on the one hand you have people cycling around the park when the sun comes out, coming off their bikes and sustaining fractures or dislocations of shoulders and elbows – things of that nature.
Then on the other hand you have people that increase their participation in sports like tennis, cricket, and squash during the summer months, who go on to develop conditions such as tennis elbow, SLAP tears and shoulder impingement. It’s a whole spectrum.
For avoiding injuries, what would you recommend?
Exercise is important for physical health, mental health, genuine enjoyment and engagement with other people. However, it does also increase your risk of injury. In general, injuries are caused by repetitive overuse, the intensity of participation in a sport and not giving the body enough time to recover. However, other factors such as biomechanics and overall musculoskeletal health, as well as sport-specific things like the weight of a tennis racket, its string tension, what surface you’re playing on, also play a role.
Mix it up
Varying your activity, rather than doing one type of activity intensely, can reduce your risk of injury. Try to combine some other workouts, like yoga, Pilates and strength training, alongside your tennis matches.
Build up gradually
To avoid an injury, it’s really important to warm up before and after exercising, stretch regularly, and build muscle gradually. Enlist the support of a personal trainer who can improve your form and create a tailored development plan. When it comes to weight training, starting with lighter loads is essential to avoiding muscle strains and tears. Focus on perfecting your technique first, then work on your strength.
Listen to your body
Eat a varied and balanced diet, drink plenty of water to stay hydrated, and remember that rest is essential to integrating the benefits of exercise.
What to do following an injury
The first thing to remember is that injuries happen. Stop your activity. If necessary, take painkillers and anti-inflammatories, ice the injury, and then get plenty of rest. If after a day or two, you don’t see any improvement, seek help. Alternatively, if you feel intense pain straight away, book an appointment at John & Lizzie’s so you can start your recovery journey without delay.
What to expect from a shoulder & elbow consultation
The first thing is to establish a diagnosis. Once we have this, we can treat in a very targeted way. And that’s much more effective. Establishing a diagnosis involves taking a history and conducting an examination. This can involve scans, such as an x-ray or MRI to find out the severity of the problem, as this will also determine how we treat someone. Treatment can be non-operative, such as pain management and physiotherapy, or surgical. The majority of patients we see in upper limb orthopaedics can be treated non-operatively with lifestyle modifications, pain management, and by seeing a proper accredited upper limb physiotherapist.
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Paying for yourself?
If you are paying for your own treatment, you don’t need a referral from your GP for a consultation. Simply refer yourself* and book an appointment by filling the enquiry form.
Using health insurance?
If you have health insurance (e.g. Bupa, Axa, Aviva), you need to contact your insurer to get authorisation before any treatment, and in most cases, you will also need to get a referral letter from your GP. If you’re not registered with a GP, we have an in-house private GP practice you can use.
*Please note – for tests and scans such as X-rays, MRIs and blood tests, a referral will be needed. However, we may be able to arrange this for you through our on-site private GP.