Empower Yourself

You are here: / Empower Yourself

What are your options?

A positive healing experience is possible, and at the Edmonton Bone and Joint Centre, it’s our ultimate goal for you. There are many ways you can empower yourself, including by:

Advocating
for yourself

Maintaining or
improving your health

Ensuring your referral information is correct

Educating
yourself

Suggestions for Improving Your Health

Entering treatment with a healthy body will improve your bone and joint health and potential treatment outcomes. Here are a few ways you can take care of your health:

1. You should remain
as active as you can

The more physically fit you are, the easier it will be to recover if you need surgery. We offer Healthy Living and GLA:D classes that provide information on healthy eating, activity, and other ways to manage arthritis.

2. Treat any other
health concerns

If you have untreated Obstructive Sleep Apnea (snoring), high blood pressure, a high HgbA1C, or are overweight, you may experience delays for surgery until these are treated. See your General Practitioner (GP) regarding these concerns.

Are you overweight?

You may need to lose weight before the surgeon will consider operating on you. Now is a good time to start your weight loss program. Alberta Health Services, Primary Care Networks, and your family physician can help with this.

Do you have diabetes?

If you have diabetes, the surgeon and anesthetist will want you to have your HgbA1C optimized (the exact reading is specific to your surgeon). Work with your GP to improve or maintain good diabetic control.

Are your teeth in good condition?

Poor dental health is a potential source of infection for an artificial joint. You will need to have a dental clearance completed by your dentist before surgery to demonstrate that your teeth are in good health. If you have full dentures, you do not need to see the dentist.

Do you have Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA)?

To know if you have OSA please answer these questions:

  • Do you snore loudly?
  • Are you often tired?
  • Has anyone said you stop breathing, choke, or gasp for air while you sleep?
  • Do you have or are you being treated for high blood pressure?
  • Is your body mass index (BMI) more than 35?
  • Are you over 50 years old?
  • What is your neck size?
    • Male’s shirt collar 17 inches or larger
    • Female shirt collar 16 inches or larger
  • Are you male?

How many questions did you say yes to?

0 – 2 questions: Low Risk of OSA
3 – 4 questions: Intermediate Risk of OSA
5 – 8 questions: High Risk of OSA

If you are at intermediate or high risk for OSA, please make an appointment with your GP or visit one of the many sleep centres in Edmonton to request a sleep study.

3. Complete your advanced care planning.

Before you go for surgery, you will be required to fill out your ‘Goals of Care’ (sometimes referred to as a ‘Green Sleeve’) with your family doctor. For more information on Advance Care Planning, please see MyHealth Alberta’s website. By completing this while you’re waiting to be seen, there will be one less task to worry about if you end up needing surgery. It will also ensure that your healthcare wishes are in place moving forward, even if you do not end up receiving surgery.

CONTACT US

(780) 433-3155

Have a question? Call us now.

Mon -Fri, 8:00am - 4:00pm

We are open for appointments.

CONTACT US

(780) 433-3155

Have a question? Call us now.

Mon -Fri, 8:00am - 4:15pm

We are open for appointments.