The discipline fascinated him as he
viewed anesthesiologists as being able to
exercise exact control over the human
body, and to practise medicine with what he
describes as instant benefits for his patients.
“Anaesthesiologists play a very important
role in making patients comfortable and
lessening anxiety during and after surgery
by precisely managing human physiology
like blood pressure, breathing volume,
and body temperature,” said Dr Lim,
who is Consultant, Department of Pain
Medicine, Pain Management Centre (PMC),
Singapore General Hospital (SGH). “Pain
medicine is a natural extension of practising
anaesthesiology where I lessen patients’
pain, frequently after surgeries or secondary
to another disease.”
Dr Lim feels a great sense of achievement
when he can help his patients overcome
their pain. “I once treated a 60-year-old who
was limping into the procedure suite in the
morning but was hopping out of PMC by
lunchtime,” he said.
His patients are a diverse group,
ranging from teenagers to nonagenarians,
with complaints such as painful joints in
their limbs and even the spine. Their pain
might have resulted from sports activities,
accidents, or just age-related wear-and-tear.
Most, however, seek help to manage
their pain because they are not keen on
more invasive treatments like surgery.
Dr Lim recalled a female patient in her
late 60s with osteoarthritis in both knees.
“She was petrified at the idea of undergoing
surgery. I did a right knee genicular nerve
ablation treatment and her knee pain was
reduced substantially,” he said.
Dr Lim used the same treatment on a
younger man in his early 40s who also had
knee pain. In his case, jogging, golf and other
activities had worn out his knees, causing
pain. The man did not want surgery as he
felt his symptoms were relatively mild.
After positioning a needle next to the nerve
causing pain and numbing it with state-ofthe-
art cooled radio frequency ablation, the
patient was able to return to what he was
doing before.
“Numbing the nerve — a pure sensory
nerve that does not supply any motor
function — reduces the pain,” said Dr Lim.
For many patients, having the pain reduced
to a level that enables them to get on with
life is sufficient. Making the patient more
comfortable, even without correcting the
underlying disease, is vital. The natural reaction
of someone with a painful left knee is to use
their right knee more to avoid putting pressure
on the painful knee. But over time, the patient
could start feeling pain in the right knee.
“It is important that we treat the pain
early so that the patients can continue to
maintain a balanced posture. It slows down
the progression of the disease. For many
patients, that is enough,” said Dr Lim.
Dr Lim sees the practice of medicine
as both an art and science. So perhaps it
is not surprising that he should have an
interest in horology, the art of making
clocks and watches.
“Other than good clinical acumen and
skills, a good doctor must also be able to
build rapport and make patients feel at ease.
With advances in AI (artificial intelligence)
and technology replacing many things in our
lives, a good horological creation will remain
relevant, just like a good doctor-patient
therapeutic relationship, which cannot be
replaced by AI,” he said.
Dr Lim, who shares young children — a
girl and boy, aged five and two respectively —
with his teacher wife, also enjoys travelling
as a family. “Travelling helps us understand
the world around us and gain perspective
on our own lives by seeing what others
are going through. It truly is another form
of education. Most importantly, it makes
memories that last a lifetime.”
Get the latest updates about Singapore Health in your mailbox! Click here to subscribe.
