Questions

Dr Gallagher is a private surgeon who operates only in a private hospital.  Without private health insurance, the cost of a simple arthroscopic procedure is prohibitive as patients would be required to pay the cost of the operating theatre and their day bed or overnight accommodation.  Total knee replacement surgery without private health insurance can cost an uninsured patient over $25,000.  These costs are picked up by health funds when patients have private health insurance.

As a general rule, there is an out of pocket cost payable for all surgeries and this is not claimable through Medicare or a health fund.  In some circumstances however, Dr Gallagher may approve a No Gap or Known Gap surgical procedure however this is not normal practice.

In most cases, we require hip to ankle standing x-rays of both knees and an MRI of the knee in question and ideally, these need to be less than three months old.  Our front office staff will liaise with all new patients to ensure they have the appropriate up to date imaging with them for their first appointment.

This will be different depending on your specific operation but can be up to six weeks following a knee replacement.  It is dependent on a number of factors including mobilisation and medication and will be discussed with you prior to your surgery.

For ACL reconstruction – As a general principle, for an ACL reconstruction, you may need to take 2 – 3 weeks off work and for a total knee replacement, approximately 4 – 6 weeks. If you are on your feet a lot at your place of work, these times may well need to be longer.

For single knee replacement – usually for four nights.

For bilateral knee replacement – usually for five nights and we often recommend a short stay in the Rehabilitation Unit following this surgery.

You will need to bring your imaging, all paperwork, your Medicare card and private health insurance details and something to occupy you while you wait.  If you are staying in the hospital, you will need pyjamas and personal toiletries.

This depends on patient factors including age, activity level and body mass index with a 95% likelihood that it will still be working well in 10 years if you are over 55 years of age compared to patients less than 55 years of age having only an 80% likelihood doing so. With recent advances in implant technology and improved surgical technique, many knee replacements are now expected to last for up to 20 years or longer.

This will vary depending on the type of surgery, how you are mobilising, how you are feeling within yourself, and the type of work that you do. As a general principle, total knee replacements will require you to be away from work for a minimum of 4 – 6 weeks. For an ACL reconstruction, this might be 2 – 3 weeks and for an arthroscopy, 1 – 2 weeks off work. If you are on your feet a lot at your place of work, these times may well need to be longer.

Yes, after knee replacement surgery, the normal reflex control arising from the nerve fibres within the ACL is lost and the hamstring and quadriceps muscles do not co-ordinate as well as before the procedure, allowing the femoral and tibial components to roll back and forth upon the rigid plastic insert separating them, making this clunking sound. It will usually resolve in time by itself but can be improved more swiftly with some quadriceps and hamstring strengthening and co-contraction and proprioception drills to enhance co-ordination and reflex control.

Any dental work should be carried out a minimum of 2 weeks prior to surgery to allow the mouth to heal and at least 3 months but preferably 6 months following surgery to avoid blood borne spread of oral bacteria to the knee.  Patients should have antibiotic cover 30 minutes before going to the dentist. Most patients will receive 3gms of oral Amoxil if they do not have an existing allergy or any other contra indication.