FAQ
Shared Decision Making in Joint Surgery: How to Be an Active Partner in Your Surgery Decision
Key Takeaways Shared decision making pairs your surgeon’s clinical knowledge with what only you know about your goals, work and daily life. Australian codes of conduct support your right to ask questions, take time, seek a second opinion and know the costs before you consent. Three questions cover most of the ground. What are my…
See MoreSlow Recovery After Joint Replacement: How the Treatment Plan Adapts
Key Takeaways Slow recovery after joint replacement is common and often reflects your starting strength, swelling or healing pace instead of a problem with the new joint. A plateau and a setback call for different responses, so your team measures movement, strength and pain patterns before changing anything. Plans adapt through exercise dose, loading strategy,…
See MoreTrigger Finger and Stiff, Sore Hands: What’s Going On?
Key Takeaways Trigger finger develops when a flexor tendon struggles to glide through a thickened pulley at the base of the finger, causing catching, locking or a painful snap. Stiff, sore hands have several possible explanations, including finger osteoarthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome, de Quervain’s tenosynovitis and Dupuytren’s contracture. Splinting, adjusted hand loads, hand therapy and…
See MoreBilateral Hip Replacement: Can Both Hips Be Replaced at the Same Time?
Key Takeaways Both hips can be replaced under one anaesthetic, though this suits a narrower group of people than having each hip done separately. Simultaneous surgery means one hospital stay and one recovery, while staged surgery spreads the physical demand across two admissions. Large studies show broadly similar revision and mortality outcomes, with trade-offs in…
See MoreGolf After Hip Replacement: Can I Travel and Play Tennis Again?
Key Takeaways Golf after hip replacement often starts with putting and chipping from around six weeks, with a full 18 holes closer to four or five months. Tennis is usually reintroduced from about three months, with doubles the more comfortable entry point and singles worth an individual conversation. Short flights may suit some people from…
See MoreKnee Osteotomy: The Surgery That Can Delay a Knee Replacement for Younger Patients
Key Takeaways Knee osteotomy realigns the leg so body weight passes through healthier cartilage, easing pain in a single worn compartment while keeping your own joint. Pooled research suggests most carefully selected patients still have their own knee a decade later, though the benefit narrows over time. Suitability rests on the wear pattern, alignment, ligament…
See MoreWhat Is Sciatica and Why Does It Run Down My Leg?
Key Takeaways Sciatica describes pain that starts in the lower back or buttock and travels along the sciatic nerve into the leg, so it is a symptom pattern and not a diagnosis. Leg symptoms appear because a nerve root in the lower spine is compressed or inflamed, and the body maps that irritation across everything…
See MoreKneecap Dislocation Surgery: When Is MPFL Reconstruction Needed?
Key Takeaways A first kneecap dislocation is usually managed without surgery, with reduction, imaging and structured rehabilitation. Reconstruction is typically considered when dislocations repeat, a loose fragment is found, or the knee still feels unsafe despite good rehabilitation. Bone shape and alignment influence the plan, so some knees may need a tibial tubercle osteotomy or…
See MoreDriving After Knee Replacement, Kneeling and Walking Timeline
Key Takeaways Driving after knee replacement usually resumes once you can brake firmly without hesitation and are off strong pain relief, commonly around four to six weeks. Australia sets no fixed waiting period after joint surgery, so the decision rests with your treating doctor and your honest assessment of control. Kneeling is the slowest milestone…
See MoreBest Orthopaedic Surgeon in Sydney: How to Choose the Right One for You
Key Takeaways No clinic can lawfully advertise the ‘best orthopaedic surgeon in Sydney’, so rankings and top-10 lists are marketing, not measurement. Specialist registration on the AHPRA register, surgical fellowship and a clear subspecialty focus are the checks that carry real weight. A written estimate covering surgeon, anaesthetist, hospital and implant fees prevents most cost…
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