Nuffield Health is ‘thrilled’ to welcome Dorset’s first female orthopaedic surgeon to its ever-growing team of leading consultants.
Nikki Kelsall is an orthopaedic and trauma surgeon who specialises in foot and ankle problems, including diabetic foot conditions. Nikki offers a regular clinic at Nuffield Health Bournemouth Hospital tending to patients with any problems affecting their feet or ankles. Nikki often sees patients that suffer with bunions, curly toes, flat feet, foot or ankle pain, ulcers, ankle arthritis and Achilles disorders. As well as this, Nikki also commonly sees patients with soft tissue and bony foot or ankle injuries.
As a once committed dancer and performer, Nikki knows first-hand how important it is to look after your feet. Nikki Kelsall, orthopaedic surgeon, said: “I was a dancer for 13 years before studying medicine, this helps me understand why amateur and professional performers and athletes, have a drive to get back on their feet quickly, no matter their age.
“Recently I treated a man in his 70s who is a professional table tennis champion and required treatment for foot pain, but was desperate to be in tip-top shape before an upcoming match. Seeing him at the Nuffield we were able to schedule his surgery perfectly to get him match ready in time. I was delighted to be able to help him with this.”
Nikki undertook her medical training in Bristol and Liverpool before moving to Bournemouth in 2003. Nikki added: “I’m very excited to be starting a regular clinic at Nuffield Health Bournemouth. I love building relationships with my patients and working at Nuffield gives me the opportunity and time to be able to do that in a relaxed and efficient environment. People underestimate the importance of their feet until something goes wrong. Foot pain can affect every aspect of your life including simply driving to work or doing the shopping as well as high level functioning on a stage or the pitch.”
In addition to her passion for treating patients with foot problems Nikki has also focused on medical education and attained her Masters in this subject in 2014. Nikki commented: “For me all the work I put in to educating more junior doctors allows me to focus not only on staying up to date myself, but also on finding ways to communicate complex subjects in an understandable way. This has changed the way that I interact with my patients, helping me to ensure they fully understand the nature of their problems and finding the best ways, with them, to improve their mobility.”
David McNair, Hospital Director at Nuffield Health Bournemouth Hospital, said: “We are thrilled to welcome Nikki to the team and have the only female orthopaedic surgeon in Dorset on our staff. Nikki’s expertise allows us to extend our offering for the benefit of our patients and provide new services.”
For more information or to book an appointment at Nuffield Health Bournemouth Hospital, call customer services on 01202 375032 or visit: www.nuffieldhealth.com/bournemouth.