The Specialist
“There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self.”
– ERNEST HEMINGWAYAssociate Professor Sumit Raniga is an award winning internationally recognised subspecialist orthopaedic shoulder and elbow surgeon with three years of dedicated post-fellowship training in world renowned centres of excellence in shoulder and elbow surgery.
Associate Professor Raniga is passionate about the shoulder and elbow. He is an outstanding communicator who is trained to provide the highest standard of evidence-based treatment of shoulder and elbow problems with compassion and empathy. His world-class training allows him to offer patients contemporary knowledge and technical expertise with a patient centred approach. He specialises in shoulder and elbow reconstruction, arthroscopy (keyhole surgery) and arthroplasty (joint replacement surgery).
He is an academic orthopaedic surgeon with a background in molecular medicine and biomechanics. He is the author of numerous scientific publications in international peer reviewed journals and textbook chapters. He is the first fellow of the Royal Australian College of Surgeon’s to complete a one-year fellowship at the world-famous Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Bern University Hospital, Switzerland.
He is also the first and only Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons to be awarded the prestigious Charles S. Neer Award for research in the field of shoulder surgery by the American Shoulder and Elbow Society in 2016. This is the highest honour in shoulder surgery research in the world. He is the inaugural recipient of the prestigious Shoulder and Elbow Society of Australia’s North American Travelling Fellowship Award for 2024.
He has established and directs the Macquarie University Translational Orthopaedic Research Program. He leads a multidisciplinary team that enables an intensive collaboration between surgeons, radiologists, physiotherapists, biomechanical engineers, and industry to improve patient outcomes through translational orthopaedic research.
This world-class orthopaedic research program focuses on basic scientific research that improves prosthesis design, surgical techniques and rehabilitation to improve patient outcomes.
Associate Professor Raniga is the Head of Upper Limb Surgery and Therapy at Macquarie University Hospital. He teaches medical students, trains doctors and mentors overseas fellows specialising in shoulder and elbow surgery.
Career Before Medicine
Before studying medicine, Associate Professor Raniga had a career in medical research.
He completed a Bachelor of Science majoring in Physiology and Pharmacology. He then completed a Master’s in Medical Science with 1st Class Honours from the University of Auckland majoring in molecular medicine and neuropharmacology. His master’s thesis identified a key protein that protective against brain injury. This led to a filing of a scientific patent.
He then spent a year at the Thomas Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, USA and was part of the team that developed the first ever gene therapy clinical trial for Parkinson’s Disease. This inspired him to study medicine.
He studied medicine at the University of Otago with an aim to become a surgeon scientist. Associate Professor Raniga believes that interdisciplinary collaboration between dedicated surgeon scientists and basic scientists is the key to top quality research that evolves surgical practice.
He has been part of such collaborations during his overseas fellowships. This has not only allowed him to learn cutting edge surgical solutions for difficult clinical problems, but also provided him with skills to contribute to society through research and education.
Swiss Fellowship
Associate Professor Raniga is the first fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons to complete a one-year fellowship in shoulder and elbow surgery at the prestigious Bern University Hospital, Bern, Switzerland.
He was mentored by Professor Matthias Zumstein, who is widely regarded as one of the best shoulder and elbow surgeons in Europe.
He had the privilege to receive intensive training in arthroscopic and open reconstruction of the shoulder and elbow, as well as joint replacement surgery.
He learnt the modified Latarjet shoulder reconstruction technique – which has the best results in treating an unstable shoulder in contact and/or collision athletes. He was also involved in developing a novel technique to reconstruct the acromioclavicular joint (ACJ).
Associate Professor Raniga published numerous research articles in international peer reviewed journals during his time in Bern. He also became the first fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons to be awarded the prestigious Charles S. Neer Award by the American Shoulder and Elbow Society in 2016. This is the highest honour in shoulder and elbow surgery research in the world.
Australian Fellowship
Associate Professor Raniga’s second year of subspecialisation was at the Macquarie University Hospital with preeminent shoulder surgeon Professor Desmond Bokor.
Professor Bokor has earned a worldwide reputation in the management of the unstable shoulder in rugby players. He had the opportunity to gain greater insight and surgical expertise in the management of unstable shoulders, as well as further experience in arthroscopic and joint replacement surgery.
He also carried out cutting edge biomechanical research which has been published in international peer reviewed journals. His time at Macquarie University Hospital allowed him to gain better understanding of the prevalence of particular shoulder and elbow problems in our community.
He recognised the need to bring back advanced reconstruction techniques for high demand patients with unrepairable rotator cuff tears that are too young to undergo shoulder replacement surgery, as well as further expertise in the diagnosis, management and surgical treatment elbow problems.
Canadian Fellowship
The Roth MacFarlane Hand and Upper Limb Center (HULC) is a truly unique facility with a worldwide reputation as one of the best institutions of its kind.
The HULC is a world-renowned centre of excellence in education, research, and the treatment of patients with complex conditions affecting hands, wrists, elbows and shoulders.
Associate Professor Raniga had the privilege to work with Professor Graham King, who is regarded as one of the preeminent elbow surgeons in the world. His time with Professor King allowed him to focus on open and arthroscopic reconstruction of the elbow, as well as elbow replacement surgery.
He also worked with Professor George Athwal, who has earned the reputation of being one of the best shoulder surgeons in North America. He focussed on learning novel joint preserving surgery for the treatment of high demand patients with unrepairable rotator cuff tears. He also gained further experience in arthroscopic and open surgery, as well as more complex shoulder replacement surgery.
During his time at the HULC Associate Professor Raniga co-authored a book chapter in the most recent edition of “Rockwood and Greens Fractures in Adults”. This is in one of the most reputable textbooks in Orthopaedic Surgery. He also completed further biomechanical research that has may have a significant impact on shoulder replacement surgery and prosthesis design.
Qualifications
Affiliations
Clinical and Research Fellowships
Awards and Scholarships
Publications, Presentations and Patents
Development of a Cadaveric Shoulder Motion Simulator with Open-Loop Iterative Learning for Dynamic, Multiplanar Motion: A
Preliminary Study. Axford, D.T., Potra, R., Appleyard, R., Tomka, J., Arenas-Miquelez, A., Bokor, D., Ferreira, L., and Raniga, S.
- Accepted for Publication in the Journal of Clinical Medicine
(2023)
The effect of rotator cuff denervation according to the Collin Classification on ex-vivo shoulder biomechanics. Axford DT, Potra R, Appleyard R, Tomka J, Arenas-Miquelez A, Hollo D, Ferreira L, and Raniga S.
- Accepted for the 15th International Congress on Shoulder and Elbow Surgery (ICSES), Rome, Italy, September (2023)
Validation of an iterative learning open-loop tendon excursion control architecture for simulated ex-vivo shoulder motion. Axford DT, Potra
R, Appleyard R, Tomka J, Arenas-Miquelez A, Hollo D, Raniga S, and Ferreira L.
- Accepted for the 15th International Congress on Shoulder and Elbow Surgery (ICSES), Rome, Italy, September (2023)
A cadaveric shoulder motion study using open-loop control for simulating in-vivo muscle. Axford DT, Potra R, Appleyard R, Tomka J,
Arenas-Miquelez A, Hollo D, Raniga S, and Ferreira L.
- Accepted for Presentation at the 29th Congress of International Society of Biomechanics (ISB), Fukuoka, Japan, August (2023)
Anatomic total shoulder arthroplasty in patients under 50 and over 80 years of age. Part 2. Raniga, S., Arenas-Miquelez, A. & Bokor, D.J.
Obere Extremität (2023) · 18:37–40 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11678-022-00713-9
Anatomic total shoulder arthroplasty in patients under 50 and over 80 years of age. Part 2. Raniga, S., Arenas-Miquelez, A. & Bokor, D.J.
Obere Extremität (2022) · 17:259–266 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11678-022-00708-6
Development of an open-loop position controller with iterative learning for in-vitro shoulder motion simulation. Axford DT, Potra R, Appleyard R, Arenas-Miquelez A, Bokor D, Heinrichs C, Raniga S, Ferreira LM.
- Presented at the 12th Congress of the German Society for Biomechanics, Cologne, Köln, Germany, September 2022.
- Presented at the International Society for Technology in Arthroplasty, Lahaina, HI, USA, September (2022)
The effect of repairing the subscapularis tendon following reverse total shoulder arthroplasty: A preliminary analysis. Axford DT, Potra
R, Arenas-Miquelez A, Bokor D, Appleyard R, Raniga S, Ferreira LM.
- Presented at the International Society for Technology in Arthroplasty, Lahaina, HI, USA, September (2022)
An evidence-based update on the Walch Type B Shoulder – A translational journey.
- Instructional Course Lecture at the NZOA/AOA Combined Annual Scientific Meeting, Christchurch, New Zealand (2021)
Where is all this evidence taking us – The future of shoulder arthroplasty.
- Presented at the Royal North Shore Shoulder Symposium, Sydney, NSW, Australia (2022)
Anatomic total shoulder arthroplasty in patients under 50 and over 80 years of age. Part 1. Raniga, S., Arenas-Miquelez, A. & Bokor, D.J. Obere Extremität (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11678-022-00708-6
How can biomechanical and kinematic knowledge from an advanced in vitro cadaveric shoulder simulator enhance arthroplasty? D Axford, R Potra, L Ferriera, R Appleyard, D Bokor, S Raniga.
- Presented at the European Society for Surgery of the Shoulder and Elbow Congress, Dublin, Ireland (2021)
Does the osteoarthritic shoulder have altered rotator cuff vectors with increasing glenoid deformity? – An In-silico analysis. Bokor D, Arenas-Miquelez A, Axford D, Graham P, Ferreira L, Athwal GS, Raniga S. J Shoulder Elbow Surg 2022 Jul 22;S1058-2746(22)00571-7.doi: 10.1016/j.jse.2022.06.008.
- Presented at the European Society for Surgery of the Shoulder and Elbow Congress, Dublin, Ireland (2021)
- Presented at the Shoulder and Elbow Society of Australia Biennial Conference, Sydney, Australia (2022)
A Novel Molecular Therapy for Adhesive Capsulitis. Raniga S.
- Patent Filed 2021
What Is The Most Reliable Method Of Measuring Glenoid Bone Loss In Anterior Glenohumeral Instability? A Cadaveric Study Comparing Different Measurement Techniques For Glenoid Bone Loss. Arenas-Miquelez A, Dabirrahmani D, Sharma G, Graham, P, Appleyard R, Bokor DJ, Read J, Piper, K, Raniga, S. Am J Sports Med 2021 Nov;49(13):3628-3637. doi: 10.1177/03635465211041386. Epub 2021 Sep 8.
- Accepted for Presentation at the International Society of Arthroscopy, Knee Surgery and Orthopaedic Sports Medicine Global Congress, Cape Town, South Africa (2021)
- Accepted for Presentation at the European Society for Surgery of the Shoulder and Elbow Congress, Poznan, Poland (2021)
- Presented at the Shoulder and Elbow Society of Australia Biennial Conference, Sydney, Australia (2022)
Does the Walch Type B Shoulder have a Transverse Force Couple Imbalance? – A Volumetric Analysis of Segmented Rotator Cuff Muscles in Osteoarthritic Shoulders. Antonio Arenas-Miquelez, MD, FEBOT; Victor Liu, MD; Joseph Cavanagh, MBBS; Petra L. Graham, PhD; Desmond John Bokor, Prof. MD, FRACS; Louis M. Ferreira, PhD; George S. Athwal, MD, FRCSC; Sumit Raniga, BSc, MSc (Hons), MBChB, FRACS
- Accepted for publication by Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery (2021)
- Presented at the Shoulder and Elbow Society of Australia Biennial Conference, Sydney, Australia (2022)
- Awarded Best Paper at the Shoulder and Elbow Society of Australia Closed Conference, Sydney, Australia (2022)
The Translational Shoulder: The evolution of an advanced 6 degree of freedom, 8 muscle actuated in vitro cadaveric shoulder simulator. Axford D, Potra R, Ferriera L, Appleyard R, Bokor D, Raniga S.
- Presented at the Royal North Shore Shoulder Symposium, Sydney, NSW, Australia (2020)
Presented at the Shoulder and Elbow Society of Australia Biennial Conference, Sydney, Australia (2022)
A Novel Molecular Therapy for Adhesive Capsulitis. Raniga S.
- Patent in Progress
Map of the Inferior Glenohumeral Ligament for Suture Pull-Out Strength: A Biomechanical Analysis. Raniga S, Cadman J, Dabirrahmani D, Bui D, Appleyard R, Bokor D.Orthop J Sports Med. 2021 Jan 11;9(1):2325967120969640. doi: 10.1177/2325967120969640. eCollection 2021 Jan.
- Oral Poster Presentation at the International Congress of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery, Buenos Ares, Argentina (2019)
The Evolving B Type Glenoid. Raniga S, Knowles NK, Ferreira LF, Athwal GS.
- Podium Presentation at the Sydney Arthroplasty Masters Meeting, Sydney, NSW, Australia (2018)
Book Chapter – Distal Humerus Fractures. Athwal GSA & Raniga S. Rockwood and Green’s Fractures in Adults 9th Edition (2018); Chapter 39.
The Walch B2 Humerus: Glenoid Retroversion is Associated with Torsional Differences in the Humerus. Raniga S, Knowles NK, West E, Ferreira LF, Athwal GS. J Shoulder Elbow Surg. 2019 Sep;28(9):1801-1808. Doi 10.1016/j.jse.2019.02.010. Epub 2019 Apr 28.
- Podium Presentation at The 31stAnnual Congress of the International Society for Technology in Arthroplasty. London, UK (International) (2018)
- Podium Presentation at the Sydney Arthroplasty Masters Meeting, Sydney, NSW, Australia (2018)
- Podium Presentation at the Shoulder and Elbow Society of Australia Biennial Conference, Perth, Western Australia, Australia (2018)
- Poster Presentation at the AAOS Annual Meeting, Las Vegas, USA (2019)
- Podium Presentation at the International Congress of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery, Buenos Ares, Argentina (2019)
The Axillary Nerve in Humeral Avulsion of the Glenohumeral Ligament (HAGL): MRI and Clinical Study. Bokor D, Raniga S and Graham P. Orthop J Sports Med. 2018 Dec 5;6(12):2325967118811044. doi: 10.1177/2325967118811044. eCollection 2018 Dec.
- Podium Presentation at the Shoulder and Elbow Society of Australia Biennial Conference, Perth, Western Australia, Australia (2018)
- Oral Poster Presentation at the International Congress of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery, Buenos Ares, Argentina (2019)
BiPOD Arthroscopic Acromiclavicular Repair Restores Bi-Directional Stability. De Beer J, Schaer M, Latendresse K, Raniga S, Moor BK, Zumstein MA. 2017 Jan 1;40(1).
The Role of Capsular Repair in Latarjet Procedures. Zumstein MA, Raniga S. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2016 Sep 7;98(17).
Glenohumerale Luxation – Verletzungsmuster und Kombinationsverletzungen. Flückiger, S. Raniga, B. K. Moor, M. A. Zumstein. Arthroskopie 2015/4: 292-300. DOI: 10.1007/s00142-015-0039-9.
Many Shoulder MRI Findings in Elite Professional Throwing Athletes Resolve After Retirement: A Clinical and Radiographic Study. Schär MO, Dellenbach S, Pfirrmann CW, Raniga S, Jost B, Zumstein MA. Clin Orthop Relat Res.2018 Mar;476(3):620-631.
New Quantitative Radiographic Parameters for Vertical and Horizontal Instability in Acromioclavicular Joint Dislocations. Zumstein MA, Schiessl P, Ambuehl B, Bolliger L, Weihs J, Maurer MH, Moor BK, Schaer M, Raniga S. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc. 2018 Jan;26(1):125-135.
Triceps Sparing Extra-Articular Step-Cut Olecranon Osteotomy (SCOOT) for Distal Humerus Fractures: An Anatomic Study. Zumstein MA, Raniga S, Flueckiger R, Campana L, Moor BK. J Shoulder Elbow Surg 2017 Sep;26(9):1620-1628.
Neer Award 2016: Reduced Muscle Degeneration and Decreased Fatty Infiltration after Rotator Cuff Tear in a Poly (ADP-ribose) Polymerase 1 (PARP-1) Knock- Out Mouse Model. Kuenzler MB, Nuss K, Karol A, Schär MO, Hottiger M, Raniga S, Kenkel D, von Rechenberg B, Zumstein MA. J Shoulder Elbow Surg. 2017 May;26(5):733-744.
- Awarded the Charles S. Neer Award for Best Basic Science Research 2016.
- Presented at American Shoulder and Elbow Society (2016)
- Presented at the European Shoulder and Elbow Society (2016)
The Biology of Rotator Cuff Healing. Zumstein MA, Lädermann A, Raniga S, Schär MO. Orthop Traumatol Surg Res. 2017 Feb;103(1S):S1-S10.
Optimal Lateral Row Anchor Positioning in Posterior-SuperiorTransosseous Equivalent Rotator Cuff Repair: A Micro CT Study. Zumstein MA, Raniga S, Labrinidis A, Eng K, Bain GI, Moor BK. Orthop J Sports Med.2016 Nov 22;4(11).
The Critical Shoulder Angle – Radiographic Signs of Degenerative Rotator Cuff Tears and it’s Biomechanical Rationale. Matthias A. Zumstein, Sumit Raniga, and Beat K. Moor. Instructional Course Lecture – European Shoulder and Elbow Society Meeting 2015.
Occult Infection in Aseptic Joint Loosening and the Diagnostic Role of Implant Sonication. Kempthorne J, Ailabouni R, Raniga S, Hammer D, Hooper G. Biomed Res Int. 2015;2015:946215. DOI: 10.1155/2015/946215. Epub 2015 Oct 25.
Kinematic analysis of scapulohumeral Motion and a Preliminary study of shoulder proprioception. Raniga S, Mohammed KD, Dalzell KGB. Presented at the New Zealand Shoulder and Elbow Society 2013.
The Time Out Procedure: have we changed our practice? Alex J-J Lee, Sumit Raniga, Gary Hooper, Ali Perry, Robyn Bisset, Diane Darley, Carmel Hurley-Watts. New Zealand Medical Journal. Vol 125 No 1362. Sep 2012.
Folic Acid Supplementation and Colorectal Cancer Risk;
A Meta-analysis. Fife J, Raniga S, Hider PN, Frizelle FA. Colorectal Dis. 2011 Feb;13(2):132-7.
Patterns of Eecurrence in Patients with Acute Diverticulitis. Eglinton T, Nguyen T, Raniga S, Dixon L, Dobbs B, Frizelle FA. Br J Surg. 2010 Jun;97(6):952-7.
Sacrococcygeal Pilonidal Disease. Lee PJ, Raniga S, Watson A, Frizelle FA. Colorectal Dis. 2008 Sep;10(7):639-50;discussion 651-2.
The Impact of Obesity on Outcome after Major Colorectal Surgery. Gendall KA, Raniga S, Kennedy R, Frizelle FA. Dis Colon Rectum. 2007 Dec;50(12):2223-37.
A Randomised Controlled Trial Comparing the Efficacy and Acceptability of Phospo-Soda Buffered Saline (Fleet®) with Sodium Picosulphate/Magnesium Citrate (Picoprep®) in the Preparation of Patients for Colonoscopy. Colorectal Dis. 2008 Jun;10(5):503-5.
Attitudes of Hospital Medical Practitioners to the Mandatory Reporting of Professional Misconduct. Raniga S, Hider P, Spriggs D, Ardagh M. N Z Med J. 2005 Dec 16;118(1227):U1781.
A Quite Revolution; Gene Therapy for Parkinson disease. Raniga S. Pharmaceutical and Diagnostic Innovation. 2004. 2 (1).
Methods of Providing Neuroprotection and/or Neurorestoration via the Neural Activin Type IIB Receptor. Hughes PE, Raniga S, Fernandez JAC. United States Patent Application Publication. Pub No.: US 2003/0103959 A1, Pub. Date: June 5, 2003.
Differential Regulation of Activin Type I and Type II Receptor mRNAs following Various Brain Injuries in the Rat. Raniga S. Thesis – Master of Science in Medical Science with 1st Class Honours. 2000.
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Macquarie University,
NSW 2109,
Australia