Life is busy and too often it is easy to ignore the pain of a failing hip or knee – and that means when a patient walks in the door for the first time at the Sunshine Coast Orthopaedic Group practice, they’re typically in need of a solution.
Since opening the practice, the team at Sunshine Coast Orthopaedic Group have made it their mission to ensure patients feel welcomed, cared for and well educated on how to best manage their hip and knee pain. Group leader, Dr Daevyd Rodda, trained at some of the most prestigious hospitals in Melbourne, before moving to the Sunshine Coast in 2012. He operated in the private and public system for some years before opening his suites at the Sunshine Coast University Private Hospital in February 2018.
If osteoarthritis symptoms can be managed with non-operative management, this is always Dr Rodda’s first method of treatment. The multidisciplinary team at the Sunshine Coast Orthopaedic Group includes two Orthopaedic Surgeons, two Perioperative Nurse Practitioners, and a dedicated clinical team. Dr Rodda and his team provide patients with specific care plans, lifestyle management strategies, exercise programs, and injectables aimed at treating arthritic symptoms such as steroids, platelet rich plasma, and hyaluronic acid derivatives (Synvisc®).
Once patients are no longer successfully managing their pain with non-operative measures (such as medications, physiotherapy, exercise, and lifestyle modifications), then surgery may need to be discussed. Dr Rodda specialises in rapid recovery joint replacement surgery of the hip and knee(3). He is widely regarded for his anterior minimally invasive total hip replacement surgery which involves the surgeon making an incision at the front of the hip, as opposed to more traditional approaches where the incision is made behind or to the side of the hip joint(3).
When discussing this approach, Dr Rodda explains that whilst he has performed a large number of hip replacements via all the main-stream contemporary approaches to the hip joint, his overwhelming preference is to perform hip replacements via the anterior approach.
“This is a technique that I teach to other surgeons and one I am very passionate about,” Dr Rodda said.
“In my hands, I feel my patients have better short-term and long-term outcomes with an anterior approach. My preference is due to the potential benefits of less pain, quick recovery, lower dislocation risk, and a smaller scar.” (1,2,3,4)
Because Dr Rodda performs patient-specific joint replacements, each surgery involves an extensive planning process. Patients undergo a CT scan of the hip or knee prior to surgery, and these scans are used to plan a patient-specific implant. Dr Rodda reviews these plans and any modifications to the implant type, size, and position are then made to further improve the precision of the preoperative plan. The guides are then created for a patient-specific hip or knee implant.
In the lead up to joint replacement surgery, small-group education sessions (Joint School) are run by their skilled Nurse Practitioner. During this session, patients are educated on all aspects of anaesthetic options, the surgical procedure itself, their recovery, and patients also have the opportunity to ask unanswered questions. Dr Rodda hopes that all patients would leave these sessions feeling well educated regarding their upcoming procedures and, as a result, feel more confident and relaxed in the lead up to their surgery.
Dr Rodda’s belief in education spans far beyond the operating theatre and he is a huge advocate for patient empowerment through education. He holds free, monthly education seminars across the Sunshine Coast which are aimed at educating the general public on the non-operative treatment options available for those who suffer from hip and knee osteoarthritis, and how to know when it may be time to consider surgery.
These sessions discuss the symptoms of hip and knee osteoarthritis, which can include pain, swelling, tenderness and stiffness of the joint, and the inability to move the joint to perform everyday tasks. Sadly, if these symptoms are not well managed, they can have a huge impact on someone’s quality of life and can mean that individuals often have to stop doing the things that they enjoy as a result of their pain and incapacity.
Dr Rodda and his team at Sunshine Coast Orthopaedic Group aim to deliver world-class patient care and high-quality surgical outcomes with a compassionate and caring approach.
The Sunshine Coast Orthopedic Group runs regular free education seminars on how to manage hip and knee osteoarthritis. Register for an event here.
Make an appointment today and discover how you can help you get your life back on track.
[1] What‘s new in hip arthroplasty; MH Huo et al; JBJS Am; 2005 Sep, 87(9):2133-46
[3] Minimally Invasive total hip arthroplasty: anterior approach; F. Rachbauer; Orthopäde, 2006 Jul;35(7):723-4, 726-9
[4] Mini-incision anterior approach does not increase dislocation rate: a study of 1037 total hip Replacement; T Siguier et al; Clin Orthop Relat Res,2004 Sep, (426): 164-73
2 Responses
Thank you for this E-mail and thank you for keeping me informed . I really appreciate the support by phone of your staff through this uncertain time .
I had a hip op. Nearly 7 years ago.I have ongoing pain.? Do you Have any suggestions to relieve the pain?