Dr SAW Khay Yong is the founder and senior partner of Kuala Lumpur Sports Medicine Centre (KLSMC). He was born in Penang and studied medicine at the Liverpool University Medical School from 1979 to 1984. During his general surgical fellowship years, he went through surgical rotation which included general surgery, vascular surgery, plastic surgery and reconstructive surgery together with hand and microsurgery.

He obtained his FRCS in Edinburgh in 1989. Then went on to his chosen field which was Orthopaedic Surgery from 1990 to 1994. During this period of higher surgical training, he was exposed to various aspects of orthopaedic surgery which included trauma, hand and microsurgery, adult reconstruction, spinal surgery, paediatric surgery, foot and ankle and orthopaedic sports medicine. During this time, he also completed his AO (Association for the Study of Internal Fixation) basic and advanced course at Davos in Switzerland.

In 1990, Dr SAW started his research work on ‘Early mobilization following operative repair of ruptured Achilles tendon’ and published his results in 1993. Since then his work has been recognized in the North West region of England as a newer and better treatment and has been put into practice. In 1993, he completed his Masters in Orthopaedic Surgery (MCH Orth) at Liverpool University Medical School, England. He won the Norah Walker prize for orthopaedic radiology. His thesis was on the ‘Early mobilization following operative repair of ruptured Achilles tendon’.

Upon his return to Malaysia in 1994, he became an orthopaedic lecturer at the University Hospital Kuala Lumpur. He started the Sports Clinic at University Hospital and proceeded to develop the field of arthroscopic surgery. From 1994 to 1997, he conducted many courses on trauma based on the principles of AO. From 1996 to 2000, he was in charge of AO education in Malaysia and was also an AO instructor for the advanced course in Davos, Switzerland.

He started his private practice in 1997 and moved to the Gleneagles Intan Medical Centre, Kuala Lumpur. In the early days, he practiced general orthopaedics with an interest in sports injury and arthroscopic surgery but now solely on arthroscopic surgery to the knee and shoulder. Dr SAW’s current practice is 95% arthroscopic surgery to the knee and shoulder. He handles approximately 80 to 100 cases of knee arthroscopic surgery per year, 80 to 100 Anterior Cruciate Ligament reconstruction cases, 30 to 50 shoulder cases and 10 to 20 cases of other surgeries including multi-ligament reconstruction, trauma and various osteotomies around the knee. He is a Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon to the Football Association of Malaysia and the National Sports Institute. His patient portfolio comprises about 5 to 10% professional athletes, the rest being recreational sportsmen.

Dr SAW is well travelled and has spent some time with internationally known surgeons around the world to improve his knowledge and surgical skills. In 1992, he completed his AO fellowship in Graz, Austria under Professor Szyszkowitz. In 1996, he visited Professor Resch in Salzburg, Austria to learn more about shoulder arthroscopy. In 1997, he furthered his knowledge in knee surgery with Dr David McGuire in Anchorage, Alaska and also Professor Freddy Fu in Pittsburgh, USA. In 2002, he spent time with renowned shoulder surgeon, Dr Joe De Beer in Capetown, South Africa to broaden his knowledge on arthroscopic shoulder surgery.

Dr SAW continues to deliver lectures on Orthopaedic Sports Medicine in Malaysia and other countries in the region. He has also organized and conducted many arthroscopic courses, some of which included live surgery. He is regularly invited to speak at local and international events for general practitioners and post graduates. Outside of work, Dr SAW is active in sports and enjoys alpine skiing, squash, golf, motor racing, diving, music and flying. He is married with three children, two sons and one daughter.