Watch this highly informative and thought-provoking discussion between Mark Hurworth (Orthopaedic Surgeon) and Ian Dowley (Senior Physiotherapist) about how the decision to operate or not to operate is made. The increasing availability of higher quality radiological imaging often causes a “knowledge explosion” - these images show every little change and irregularity in our bodies. But what is relevant? What is ‘normal’ age-related change and what is actually related to our symptoms? Do these ‘issues’ that have been identified actually need to be surgically ‘fixed’? In a radiological report the complex technical jargon or even the sheer volume of information can be scary and threatening for the patient.
Read MoreThe CHECK cohort study findings indicate that when knee or hip OA is painful, it is the overall severity of the symptoms which increase the likelihood of having a joint replacement, rather than the rate at which these symptoms increase over time. As OA symptoms appear to remain reasonably stable over time, it may be beneficial to postpone primary joint replacement surgery to lower the future risks of revision surgery.
Read MoreClick here to follow the journey of a patient having a day surgery procedure at the Murdoch Surgicentre and give you an idea of what you can expect.
Read MoreOn May 15 2018 the SBS Network in Australia aired an episode of their ‘Insight’ program which highlights the current and ongoing debate amongst health care professionals regarding the effectiveness and appropriateness of surgical and non-surgical alternatives to back, knee and hip surgery. The program features interviews with patients, surgeons, physiotherapists and researchers as they discuss the big question: Is surgery the answer to our joint problems?
Read MoreThe problem of opiate addiction is very real, and needs to be taken seriously. The fastest growing group of addictions in western society are medically prescribed opiates. There has been a deluge of media coverage in recent months regarding the ‘epidemic’ of addiction to medically prescribed opioids.
Read MoreA knee replacement is a significant and potentially painful surgery with a lengthy rehabilitation process. This surgery should be considered as a last resort and performed only after all other management options have been exhausted. Find out what you can do to avoid or postpone surgery.
Read MoreSurgical techniques have become more refined and sometimes more experimental, with the number of elective surgeries performed continuing to increase exponentially over the past decades. But is surgery always the answer? Perhaps we have become so caught up in the idea of “progress” that we do not stop to ask whether these procedures actually work any better than non-surgical treatment. Some researchers are now attempting to answer these questions.
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