About Relimb
The first UK civilian pathway for osseointegration and TMR
Founded in 2018 at the Royal Free Hospital by Mr Norbert Kang and Mr Alexander Woollard, Relimb was created in response to a recurring problem: people living with limb loss or major physical trauma often had to attend multiple clinics to address pain, prosthetic problems, function, appearance and rehabilitation.
Relimb brings those decisions together — so surgical planning, rehabilitation and specialist input are coordinated from the start rather than left to patients and referrers to piece together themselves.
A broader service than one procedure
Osseointegration and TMR are well-known parts of what Relimb does. But the service is designed for people whose needs are more complex than any single procedure: revision surgery, residual limb problems, neuroma pain, soft-tissue reconstruction, craniofacial osseointegration, tendon or nerve transfer, and wider reconstructive questions all fall within scope.
Why Relimb
Built for the cases that fall between departments
Many patients need more than one opinion, yet do not benefit from being passed between disconnected services. Relimb was set up to bring those decisions into one place.
First UK-based civilian OI and TMR pathway
The service includes recognised expertise in osseointegration and TMR, while keeping treatment planning broader than any single procedure.
A wider surgical toolkit
As plastic and reconstructive surgeons, the founders can draw on a broader range of techniques when the visible problem is only one part of a more complex picture.
Partner-led rehabilitation
Relimb works closely with Dorset Orthopaedic and other multidisciplinary contributors so surgical plans and rehabilitation plans support each other.
Founders
Relimb was founded by two consultant plastic surgeons whose work spans osseointegration, nerve surgery, prosthetic reconstruction and complex functional recovery.
Mr Alexander Woollard
Co-founder, Consultant Plastic Surgeon
FRCS (Plast), PhD · Royal Free London NHS Trust
Mr Woollard is co-founder of Relimb and a consultant plastic surgeon at the Royal Free. His reconstructive practice includes peripheral nerve surgery, facial reanimation, sarcoma reconstruction and complex functional restoration, with a longstanding research interest in nerve regeneration.
That combination of surgical and research experience means Relimb can offer patients a broader perspective — the right operation for the right person, rather than defaulting to the procedure the service is best known for.
View publications involving Alexander Woollard →
Mr Norbert Kang
Co-founder, Consultant Plastic Surgeon
MB BS, FRCS (Plast) · Royal Free Hospital
Mr Kang is co-founder of Relimb and a consultant plastic surgeon with longstanding experience in osseointegration, prosthetic reconstruction and nerve surgery for amputees. He performed his first osseointegration procedure in 2005 and has been performing TMR since 2013.
Within Relimb, his work reflects the service's core principle: advanced surgical technique, careful patient selection, and a rehabilitation plan built around the individual rather than the procedure.
View publications involving Norbert Kang →Partners & governance
Royal Free Hospital
Surgical home of the service and consultant base of the founders
Dorset Orthopaedic
Rehabilitation and prosthetic partner before and after major limb-loss surgery
Osseointegration Group of Australia
Longstanding collaborator in osseointegration expertise and implant knowledge
Research & publications
Peer-reviewed publications and presentations linked to the Relimb service, covering osseointegration, targeted nerve surgery, complex reconstruction and related clinical themes.
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
A consecutive series of targeted muscle reinnervation (TMR) cases for relief of neuroma and phantom limb pain: UK perspective
Norbert Venantius Kang, Alexander Woollard, Dominika Antonina Michno, Yazan Al-Ajam, Jaclyn Tan, Esther Hansen
Journal of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery (2021)
Periprosthetic osseointegration fractures are infrequent and management is familiar
Jason S. Hoellwarth, Kevin Tetsworth, John Kendrew, Norbert Venantius Kang, Oscar van Waes, Qutaiba Al-Maawi, Claudia Roberts, Munjed Al Muderis
The Bone and Joint Journal (2020)
New surgical options to improve the quality of life of amputees
Norbert Kang, Alexander Woollard, Wojciech Konczalik
Surgery (2019)
Discuss whether Relimb is right for you
If you are trying to understand whether the service is appropriate for your situation or your patient's, contact the team. We can help clarify the most appropriate next step.