Patient information about Orthopaedic Surgery and Conditions

Orthoanswer explains bones, joints and surgery in clear, easy words. Learn what your condition means and how to get ready for care.

Explore Conditions

Surgery Explained

Recovery & Rehab

Total Hip Replacement

Total Knee Replacement

Preparing for Surgery

Browse by body region

Every guide sits under the part of the body it belongs to. Start with the region your symptoms are in, or use the search box above if you already know the name of your condition.

Hip — arthritis, bursitis, labral tears, fractures and hip replacement
Knee and leg — arthritis, ligament and meniscal injuries, fractures and knee replacement
Shoulder, arm and elbow — rotator cuff, frozen shoulder, dislocations and fractures
Spine — low back and neck pain, sciatica, disc problems and scoliosis
Foot and ankle — plantar fasciitis, bunions, Achilles injuries, sprains and fractures
Hand and wrist — carpal tunnel, arthritis, ganglions and broken wrists

How these guides work

Every condition page follows the same order, because it is the order people actually ask about a diagnosis: what the symptoms are, what causes it, who is at risk, how it is investigated, what can go wrong, how it is treated, when to seek advice, and how to prevent it. Most pages end with the questions patients ask most often.

Procedure pages do the same for operations — what the surgery involves, who it suits, what recovery looks like week by week, and what the risks are. We write at a reading level that assumes no medical training, and we say plainly when the evidence is uncertain.

Frequently looked up

Who writes Orthoanswer

Orthoanswer is written and maintained by health professionals at Western Health, Melbourne, under editor-in-chief Professor Phong Tran, Professor and Head of Orthopaedic Surgery. It carries no advertising and accepts no payment for the content of its pages. You can read more about who we are and how we write and review these guides.

Orthoanswer is general information. It is not a diagnosis and it cannot account for your particular history or scans. If your symptoms are severe or getting worse, or you have a fever, numbness, loss of bladder or bowel control, or cannot move a limb, seek medical care rather than reading about it.