Mr. Michael Kurer
Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon: Shoulder, Elbow and Hand
Michael Kurer was appointed Consultant Orthopaedic and Shoulder Surgeon to North Middlesex University Hospital in 1994. He was born and grew up in Manchester before attending medical school at University College London. He started his orthopaedic training at the Royal Free Hospital and went on to become a Senior Registrar and Shoulder Fellow at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, with AO trauma fellowships in Switzerland and at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York along the way.
His interest in the shoulder was inspired by working with Ian Bayley and Paul Calvert at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, where he spent a year as their Shoulder Research Fellow immediately before his consultant appointment.
Mr Kurer’s primary clinical interest is in shoulder and elbow disorders, including dislocation, arthritis, rotator cuff disease, frozen shoulder, tennis elbow and biceps disorders. Colleagues refer him patients with complex shoulder problems and difficult fractures of the shoulder and upper arm.
He has developed his own rehabilitation programmes for the common shoulder operations and works closely with specialist shoulder physiotherapists. That way, patients have the best chance of recovering fully and getting back to the things they enjoy, whether that’s tennis, golf or simply reaching the top shelf again.
Seeing is diagnosing
Diagnostic ultrasound of the shoulder is central to how Mr Kurer works. He is a registered Bupa ultrasonographer and has his own ultrasound machine in clinic, so he can examine a patient, scan the shoulder there and then, and if needed give an ultrasound-guided injection, all in one visit. Patients leave with a diagnosis and a plan the same day, rather than waiting weeks for separate appointments. This is the basis of his One-Stop Shoulder Clinic, and patients tend to be delighted with the convenience.
From the shoulder to the hand
More recently, his ultrasound expertise has taken him somewhere new. Mr Kurer was one of the first surgeons in the UK to offer ultrasound-guided keyhole surgery for carpal tunnel syndrome and trigger finger, and has now performed over 100 of these operations.
The surgery is done under local anaesthetic through a tiny puncture rather than an open incision, and patients’ recovery and return to self-care and work is so much quicker than with the traditional open approach. Many have both hands treated at the same time. He now trains other doctors in the technique.
Beyond the clinic
Mr Kurer is on the GMC Specialist Register for Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery and is a GMC-recognised trainer. He is also a medico-legal expert in disorders of the shoulder and hand.
In his spare time, he enjoys cycling and choir singing and following the fortunes of Manchester United Football Club.
Qualifications and memberships
- MB BS, University of London
- Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of England (FRCS)
- GMC Specialist Register: Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery
- British Orthopaedic Association (BOA)
- British Elbow and Shoulder Society (BESS)
- European Society for Surgery of the Shoulder and the Elbow (SECEC-ESSSE)
Make an appointment
Mr Kurer speaks English, French and German.
- Clinical enquiries: Mandy, 07908 572637, clinic@kurer.co.uk
- Medico-legal enquiries: Maureen, 07960 366388, legal@kurer.co.uk