Patient care at Adelaide Arthroplasty Clinic
Sharing expertise to nurture the best outcomes for complex knee and hip conditions
At Adelaide Arthroplasty Clinic, our hip and knee specialists put a great deal of thought into our patient’s journey with us. As orthopaedic surgeons, our expertise is in your diagnosis and treatment, but we also know that you will feel more comfortable in your treatment if you know the road ahead.
Your first appointment
To book an appointment with one of our surgeons, you will need a referral letter from your GP. They can arrange for you to have an x-ray of your hip or knee so that we can review it at your consultation.
You can book your appointment on the phone or online. We will advise you of the consultation cost at the time.
At your appointment, our orthopaedic surgeon will assess your condition. This will involve an examination, as well as a discussion about your medical history and any complications you have experienced. We will also look at any radiology scans that you have had taken. We are able to diagnose a number of conditions from your x-ray, however, further imaging may be required and will be organised if needed.
Your treatment
Once you have been fully assessed and we have a diagnosis, we can discuss your options and set a treatment plan.
If we determine that you do not require surgery, then we will recommend non-operative treatment, as indicated. We will refer you to an appropriate provider to support your ongoing care and will be available to reassess in the future.
If you do require surgery, we will provide you with verbal and written information to educate and explain your surgery and treatment plan. We will also advise you of the costs involved, including any gap payments. You will then commence pre-hab.
This involves:
- Working with a physiotherapist to optimise your joint condition prior to surgery
- A consultation with our physician to thoroughly assess your general health and past medical history
- Seeing our anaesthetist
- Pre-operative blood tests (if needed).
Once this has all been achieved, we will organise your hospital admission.
Your surgery
There are eating and drinking restrictions prior to any surgery. The time to stop eating and drinking will depend on your admission time, and we will let you know these details when your admission is confirmed to you.
We will see at the hospital on the day of surgery. Some procedures only require day surgery, but joint replacements may require several days of admission. If you are having day surgery, we will see you again before you leave hospital. If you need to stay for a number of days, we will visit regularly to monitor your progress. While in hospital, you will be commencing physiotherapy with the hospital physio.
Post surgery recovery
You will continue with physiotherapy when you get back home. We will write a referral for your local physio, or assist you to find one that is convenient, so that they can support your recovery to normal activity.
We will also provide you with information about your wound recovery, so that you know what to expect and what to watch out for.
At either two or six weeks after your surgery (depending on the procedure), we look forward to seeing you back at Adelaide Arthroplasty Clinic for your post-surgical appointment. We’ll check that you are recovering normally, provide advice around recovery and expectations, as well as answer any concerns or questions you may have.
Learn what to expect after a knee replacement and how you can care for yourself at home here:
Adelaide Arthroplasty Clinic services
Our surgeons are experienced and passionate about treating all conditions of the hip and knee. They are leading clinicians in complex hip and knee revisions and reconstructions, and exploring treatments based on the patient situation and response to treatment.
Hip treatment
Knee treatment