Dr James Roche graduated from Imperial College School of Medicine, London in 1999 with distinction in Medicine and Surgery, winning the Norman Lake prize for the highest mark in Surgery. His subsequent Orthopaedic training was at Nottingham University Hospital – a world-renowned centre for Orthopaedic Trauma. He was admitted to Royal College of Surgeons of England in 2008.Dr Roche spent a year working as Arthroplasty fellow in Perth gaining experience in complex joint replacement before returning to the UK. He completed a second fellowship training in Revision Hip and Knee Replacement.In 2012, he was appointed as a Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon at the Forth Valley Royal Hospital with a interest in hip and knee surgery.
Dr Roche moved directly to Rockhampton with his young family in early 2016 and began working at Hillcrest in early 2018. Dr Roche performs a large number of robotic hip and knee replacements per year. He uses various fixation methods and different bearing surfaces in hip surgery depending on patients’ activity requirements. He uses a minimally invasive Direct Superior Approach for hip replacements to minimise post-operative pain and maximise function.
Dr Roche has pioneered the use of Robotic Surgery in Central Queensland and was the first to use this technology in early September 2020.Dr Roche has a strong partnership with Stryker, having used their implants extensively for nearly 5 years. He regularly teaches other Orthopaedic surgeons advanced techniques on their courses. The Mako robot is a logical extension of this partnership. Surgery using the MAKO robotic system is not appreciably quicker but benefits include: Advanced 3D CT planning, Dynamic Joint Balancing and precision cutting and burring for:
- Total hip replacements
- Total knee replacements,
- Unicompartmental knee replacements
- Patellofemoral knee replacements
He is the only surgeon in the region able to combine robotic surgery for hip replacement surgery with the minimally invasive and muscle sparing Direct Superior Approach to give his patients the very best functional outcome from this surgery.In addition to arthroplasty Dr Roche offers a comprehensive service treating all aspects of knee injuries. Soft tissue knee surgery including meniscal repairs and ligament reconstruction is becoming a larger part of the practice particularly among the young sporting population.
Dr Roche has a general Orthopaedic practice focusing on the lower limb:
- Robotic Assisted Primary Hip and Knee Replacement
- Revision Hip and Knee Replacement
- Arthroscopic knee surgery including ACL reconstruction and meniscal repairs.
- Foot and ankle surgery
- Carpal tunnel and hand surgery
- Broad trauma practice
- Radiofrequency ablation around arthritic joints
Dr Roche has published on numerous topics surrounding hip arthroplasty and his seminal article in the British Medical Journal on hip fracture surgery has been cited by over 1500 subsequent scientific papers. Dr Roche has had work presented at the British Orthopaedic Association and American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.
Dr Roche visits the Gladstone Specialist Centre and Emerald Specialist Clinic on a monthly basis. Appointments can be made by contacting Dr Roche's medical practice and accepts after hours and trauma referrals, please refer where possible via Medical Objects to "CQ Orthopaedics”.