Orthoanswer explains bones, joints and surgery in clear, easy words. It exists because most people meet an orthopaedic diagnosis for the first time in a ten-minute appointment, and then go home with a word they cannot spell and a decision they do not yet understand.
Who writes Orthoanswer
Orthoanswer is written and maintained by the Orthoanswer editorial team — health professionals at Western Health, Melbourne. The site covers more than 200 conditions and procedures across the hip, knee, shoulder, arm and elbow, hand and wrist, spine, and foot and ankle.
Editor-in-chief
Professor Phong Tran is Professor and Head of Orthopaedic Surgery at Western Health, Melbourne. His clinical practice focuses on hip, knee and shoulder surgery. He holds adjunct professorships at several universities, has published more than 68 peer-reviewed papers, and leads an active orthopaedic research program.
How we write
Every page follows the same structure, because that 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.
We write at a reading level suited to someone with no medical training, and we say plainly when the evidence is uncertain or when reasonable doctors disagree.
Our full editorial policy sets out how content is produced, sourced and updated.
What Orthoanswer is not
Orthoanswer is general information. It is not medical advice, it is not a diagnosis, and it cannot account for your particular history, scans or circumstances. Nothing here replaces a conversation with your own doctor or surgeon. If your symptoms are severe, worsening, or accompanied by fever, numbness, loss of bladder or bowel control, or an inability to move a limb, seek medical care immediately rather than reading about it.
Contact
If you spot something inaccurate or unclear on any page, we want to know. Corrections improve the site for everyone who reads it next.