Dr Kieran Hirpara — Specialist shoulder, hand, wrist and elbow surgery in Central Queensland
CQ Hand + Upper LimbAs a shoulder, elbow, wrist and hand surgeon with a subspecialty interest in arthroscopic shoulder surgery and shoulder replacement, I aim to get you the best possible result for your shoulder, elbow, wrist or hand problem. Why a fellowship-trained surgeon? →
Clinics run Tuesday to Thursday at the Mater Private Hospital Rockhampton, with operating lists on Monday and Friday. Patients are seen from across Central Queensland — Rockhampton, the Capricorn Coast, Gladstone, Bundaberg, Mackay, Emerald and the central west — on referral from general practice, emergency departments and specialist colleagues.
See sports injuries or workplace injuries for the pathway tailored to those entry points.
Interview with Dr Hirpara
A shoulder, elbow, wrist and
hand surgeon
I trained in orthopaedics in Ireland, completing higher surgical training (FRCS Tr&Orth) in 2012, then a hand surgery fellowship in Manchester, UK. After moving to Australia in 2014 I undertook two further shoulder fellowships in Brisbane — first as Ass. Prof Cutbush's inaugural shoulder fellow, with Prof Ross and Dr Duke as co-supervisors; then a sports shoulder fellowship at St Andrew's War Memorial and The Prince Charles Hospitals with Drs MacGroarty and Rimmington — and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons in 2020.
My subspecialty interests sit in arthroscopic and reconstructive shoulder surgery — primary and revision shoulder replacement, instability surgery, and rotator cuff repair — and in hand surgery for arthritis, nerve compression, tendon and ligament injury, and Dupuytren's disease. Modern shoulder and modern hand surgery share a vocabulary — arthroscopy, soft-tissue reconstruction, microsurgery, careful rehabilitation — and treating the shoulder, elbow, wrist and hand as a single anatomical and functional unit lets me bring techniques and judgement from one region across to the other. The practice covers the full breadth of elective and traumatic conditions of the shoulder, elbow, wrist and hand.
Practising in Rockhampton since 2016, and at the Mater Private Hospital Rockhampton since opening CQ Hand + Upper Limb in 2020. The practice is busy with referrals from across Central Queensland — from Mackay south to Bundaberg, and inland to Emerald and Longreach — and with on-site hand therapy through Extend Rehabilitation, consult, theatre and post-operative recovery are coordinated as a single continuous plan.
Surgery and rehabilitation,
under one roof
Ruby Doolan — AHTA-accredited Hand Therapist with Extend Rehabilitation — runs the hand therapy service alongside the practice. Most hand surgery needs targeted post-operative rehabilitation: splinting, scar management, oedema control, graded loading and stiffness retraining. Coordinated, early hand therapy is associated with better tendon-repair outcomes in published series, particularly for flexor tendon, nerve and complex hand and wrist reconstruction.
Hand therapy is also offered as conservative care for patients who do not need or are not ready for surgery — splinting for early base-of-thumb arthritis, exercise programmes for cuff impingement and tennis elbow, custom splints for stable ligament injuries, and ongoing scar work after burns or trauma.
We accept all GP referrals,
and review every one
on arrival
The practice accepts all GP referrals for orthopaedic conditions of the shoulder, hand, wrist and elbow. Every referral is reviewed on receipt and appropriate imaging — plain films, ultrasound, MRI or CT — is requested before the consult so the appointment is genuinely diagnostic. The patient is contacted directly to confirm.
Complex and revision cases are welcome. Dr Hirpara has a particular interest in revision shoulder arthroplasty, failed cuff repair, post-traumatic shoulder, elbow, wrist or hand deformity, and revision hand surgery. For acute hand or wrist trauma, please phone the rooms on 07 4863 6556 to discuss, or mark the referral Urgent.
GP referrals are valid for 12 months; non-GP specialist referrals are valid for 3 months. Full referral and rebate guidance is on the frequently asked questions page; the dedicated referrer page covers triage, what to include in the letter, and direct contact for clinical questions. Referrals can be sent by fax to 07 4863 6559, email to office@cqupperlimb.com.au, or addressed to the practice at the Mater Private Hospital Rockhampton. We are happy to discuss specific cases — phone 07 4863 6556.
Speak to the practice
about your injury
Fill in your details below — the practice will follow up by phone or email within one business day. A GP referral is usually required for Medicare rebates; you can attach a PDF scan or mail it later.
