Dr Mustafa Alttahir

Biography

Dr Mustafa Alttahir is an Australian-trained orthopaedic surgeon with subspecialty expertise in hip and knee arthroplasty, complex limb reconstruction, and foot and ankle surgery. He is one of a small number of surgeons in Australia trained across all three of these disciplines — performing high-volume joint replacement alongside complex deformity correction, limb lengthening, and patient-specific reconstructive surgery. His practice is distinguished by the use of 3D surgical planning, custom CAD-designed implants, and intramedullary nail techniques across a range of conditions — from primary hip and knee replacement through to complex cases referred from elsewhere.

Dr Alttahir arrived in Australia at the age of 14 from Iraq, attending Fairfield High School in Western Sydney. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science (Medicine) and Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery from the University of New South Wales in 2008, completing his orthopaedic surgical training across multiple centres throughout NSW and the ACT. He was awarded Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (FRACS) in 2018, followed by Fellowship of the Australian Orthopaedic Association (FAOrthA) in 2019.

He subsequently undertook four advanced subspecialty fellowships. Through the International Bone Research Association, he trained in Basel, Switzerland under Professor Victor Valderrabano and in Tenerife, Spain under Professor Mario Herrera-Perez — gaining extensive exposure to biological reconstruction, complex deformity correction, and advanced fixation strategies. At Prince of Wales Hospital in Sydney, he focused on primary and revision joint replacement under Dr David Lunz, Dr John Negrine, and Dr Jeff Ling. A further fellowship at Macquarie University under Dr Tim O’Carrigan deepened his experience in lower limb arthroplasty and foot and ankle surgery. He completed his subspecialty training with a Lower Limb Reconstruction Fellowship at Macquarie University Hospital under Professor Munjed Al Muderis, Professor Kevin Tetsworth, and Dr Tim O’Carrigan, covering complex deformity correction, Ilizarov framing, limb lengthening, and osseointegration surgery.

In his clinical practice, Dr Alttahir performs minimally invasive anterior hip replacement, robotic-assisted knee replacement using the ROSA system, and patient-specific total ankle replacement — alongside complex revision procedures for patients whose previous joint replacements have failed. He has a strong commitment to joint-preserving surgery, particularly for younger, more active patients, and routinely uses patient-specific instrumentation, 3D modelling, and custom CAD-designed implants for complex reconstructive cases.

Dr Alttahir consults in English and Arabic. He sees patients across four hospital locations in Sydney, and holds an appointment at Burjeel Medical City in Abu Dhabi through the Al Muderis Osseointegration Clinic.

Areas of Expertise

Hip & Knee Arthroplasty

• Minimally invasive anterior hip replacement
• Robotic-assisted total knee replacement (ROSA system)
• Computer-navigated total knee replacement
• Complex revision hip arthroplasty
• Complex revision knee arthroplasty
• Sports knee reconstruction: arthroscopic ACL reconstruction, multiligament reconstruction

Foot & Ankle Surgery

• Total ankle replacement (patient-specific instrumentation)
• Revision total ankle replacement
• Foot reconstructive surgery for flatfoot and cavovarus deformities
• Complex bony and soft tissue deformity correction
• Minimally invasive bunion and forefoot surgery
• Sports injuries and ankle ligament reconstruction

Limb Reconstruction & Joint Preservation

• High tibial and distal femoral osteotomies
• Upper and lower limb deformity correction
• Management of malunion, nonunion, and post-traumatic arthritis
• Limb lengthening surgery (intramedullary magnetic nail technique)
• Ilizarov frame-assisted gradual deformity correction

Osseointegration Surgery

• Limb replacement for above- and below-knee amputees

Orthopaedic Trauma

• Upper and lower limb fracture management
• Complex periarticular and intra-articular injuries
• Adult and paediatric trauma

Patient-Specific Surgical Planning & Technology

• Medical CAD software and 3D-modelling-based deformity analysis
• Patient-specific instrumentation for complex deformity correction
• Custom 3D-printed titanium implant design for tumour, infection, and joint replacement cases
• CAD-assisted complex deformity analysis: patellofemoral maltracking, leg length discrepancy, post-traumatic deformity

Qualifications & Training

• BSc (Med), MBBS — University of New South Wales, 2008
• FRACS (Orthopaedic Surgery) — 2018
• FAOrthA (Fellowship of the Australian Orthopaedic Association) — 2019
• International Bone Research Association Fellowship — Professor Victor Valderrabano (Basel, Switzerland) and Professor Mario Herrera-Perez (Tenerife, Spain)
• Prince of Wales Fellowship — Dr David Lunz, Dr John Negrine, Dr Jeff Ling (Sydney)
• Macquarie University Fellowship — Dr Tim O’Carrigan (Sydney)
• Lower Limb Reconstruction Fellowship — Macquarie University Hospital: Professor Munjed Al Muderis, Professor Kevin Tetsworth, Dr Tim O’Carrigan

Hospital Affiliations

• Macquarie University Hospital, Sydney
• Norwest Private Hospital, Sydney
• Campbelltown Private Hospital, Sydney
• East Sydney Private Hospital, Sydney
• Burjeel Medical City, Abu Dhabi — Al Muderis Osseointegration Clinic