Dr Lester Tan Teong Jin is a Senior Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon with 18 years of clinical experience. His practice centres on shoulder and elbow surgery for conditions such as tendon injuries, instability, fractures, and arthritis. When surgery is needed, treatment can include minimally invasive surgery (MIS) for selected joint or soft tissue conditions, fracture fixation for broken bones, or joint replacement where joint damage is more advanced. Beyond upper limb conditions, he also treats sports related knee injuries and trauma involving the bones and joints, with care focused on restoring movement, strength, stability, and return to activity.
This clinical scope is supported by a strong academic and surgical foundation. Dr Lester Tan obtained his Bachelor of Medicine & Bachelor of Surgery (M.B.B.S.) degree from the Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, where he graduated with a Distinction in Clinical Science. He later completed his postgraduate specialist training in orthopaedic surgery in Singapore, obtained his Master of Medicine in Orthopaedic Surgery from the National University of Singapore (NUS), and became a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (F.R.C.S. Edinburgh) in Orthopaedic Surgery.
After completing his specialist training, Dr Lester Tan continued to refine his consultant practice in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) before moving into private practice. His work there covered elective and trauma related orthopaedic care, where cases vary widely in urgency, complexity, surgical timing, and rehabilitation needs. He remains a Visiting Consultant to TTSH. At Oxford Orthopaedics, this experience is reflected in how he evaluates the source of pain, stiffness, weakness, or instability, relates clinical findings and imaging to the patient’s function, and considers whether treatment should prioritise pain relief, strength, range of motion, stability, or a safe return to activity.
Dr Lester Tan’s shoulder and elbow practice covers upper limb conditions involving the tendons, ligaments, bones, and joints. This includes problems such as rotator cuff tears, shoulder instability, frozen shoulder, fractures, arthritis, and elbow ligament injuries. Where surgery is needed, his work includes keyhole arthroscopic techniques, repair or stabilisation procedures, including Latarjet procedures for selected cases of shoulder instability, fracture fixation, and joint replacement for more advanced joint damage.
Within this subspecialty of practice, treatment is guided by the condition being treated and the function the patient needs to regain. A painful stiff shoulder, an unstable joint, a torn tendon, a fracture, and advanced arthritis each require different decisions around timing, surgical approach, rehabilitation, and whether non-surgical care remains appropriate. This allows care to be planned around pain relief, movement, strength, stability, and safe return to work, sport, or daily activity.
In addition to his shoulder and elbow practice, Dr Lester Tan manages sports related knee injuries, particularly conditions that affect stability, movement control, and return to activity. His surgical work in this area includes ligament reconstruction, meniscus repair and transplant surgery, cartilage procedures, patella stabilisation, and osteotomies where knee alignment needs to be addressed.
However, once knee damage is more advanced, joint replacement is considered instead of repair or preservation. At this stage, surgery is no longer centred on repairing a torn structure or preserving the existing joint surface. It involves replacing damaged joint surfaces, restoring alignment, and positioning the implant accurately. In this setting, Dr Lester Tan’s certification in Mako, ROSA, and VELYS robot assisted knee replacement platforms adds planning and intraoperative guidance tools to enhance surgical precision when appropriate.
Alongside his surgical practice, Dr Lester Tan has contributed to medical education across undergraduate teaching, residency training, and early postgraduate doctor development. At the undergraduate level, he was appointed Assistant Professor at Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, where he also served as Orthopaedic Lead, and was a Senior Lecturer at Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine (NUS). His teaching work continued within TTSH, where he was a core faculty member in the Orthopaedic Residency Training Programme and Assistant Programme Director for the Postgraduate Year 1 (PGY1) programme, supporting junior doctors during their first year of clinical practice.
His commitment to training also extends into wider orthopaedic education. Dr Lester Tan has served as an instructor at local and regional orthopaedic courses, been invited to speak at local and international conferences, and published in peer reviewed scientific journals. These contributions reflect his continued involvement in orthopaedic teaching, surgical training, and the sharing of clinical knowledge within the wider medical community.
Away from the clinic, Dr Lester Tan is a proud father of three and spends most of his weekends with his family. When time allows, he enjoys staying active through pickleball and tennis, which give him a chance to stay active, compete, and unwind outside of clinical work. On quieter days, he keeps things simple with an occasional jog or a relaxed cycle along the park connector near his home, reflecting a personal life that stays close to family, sport, and time outdoors.
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