Ligament Reconstruction Training in Amsterdam - International Surgeon Course
As well as regular consultation and surgery work, Owen Wall has recently had the distinct honour of providing seminars and courses on ligament reconstruction. From 13 to 15 October 2026, Owen Wall joined fellow faculty members Mr Neil Jain and Dr IPS Oberoi at a cadaveric surgical training centre in Amsterdam, teaching a three-day course on ligament reconstruction in and around the knee. The course was hosted by Xiros and drew surgeons from across Europe, the Middle East and India.
What the course covered
The programme looked at reconstruction techniques across most of the structures a knee surgeon is likely to be asked to repair or replace. That included the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), the posterolateral corner (PLC), the lateral collateral ligament (LCL), the anterolateral ligament (ALL) and the medial collateral ligament (MCL), as well as the medial patellofemoral ligament (MPFL). It also covered extensor mechanism defects, which means reconstruction of the patellar tendon and the quadriceps tendon.
Several of these are among the harder procedures in knee surgery. Multiligament and extensor mechanism injuries are less common than isolated ACL tears, so many surgeons see them only occasionally, and that makes structured practice more useful than it would be for a routine procedure.
Lectures and hands-on practice
The days combined lectures and case discussion with practical sessions on cadaveric specimens. Delegates were able to work through each reconstruction themselves, compare approaches, and discuss the evidence and clinical outcomes behind them with the faculty. Working on cadaveric tissue is the closest a surgeon can get to the real operation outside theatre, and it allows techniques to be repeated and refined without any pressure on a patient.
Of course, a course like this is only one part of keeping surgical skills current. What matters is how techniques are applied in practice, and that depends on selecting the right procedure for each patient. That judgement was a large part of the discussion between faculty and delegates.
Owen regularly teaches and attends courses of this kind alongside his clinical work at The Leeds Knee Clinic. Teaching reconstruction techniques to surgeons from other countries also keeps the evidence and the practical detail under constant review, which feeds back into the care patients receive in clinic.
Thank you to Xiros for hosting, to Neil Jain and Dr IPS Oberoi for their work as faculty, and to all the delegates who took part.
If you are dealing with a ligament injury or ongoing knee instability, contact Owen Wall at The Leeds Knee Clinic to arrange an assessment.
