Before Referring
Your Patient

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Before Referring Your Patient to
the Edmonton Bone & Joint Centre

The Edmonton Bone and Joint Centre cares for patients referred to an orthopaedic surgeon for a hip or knee replacement, a surgical assessment for their shoulder, or a surgical assessment for their foot or ankle. The ideal candidate for arthroplasty has severe osteoarthritis (OA) on an X-ray.

All Patients

  • Have you confirmed your patient’s interest in surgical management?

Some patients, when the option is presented, are not in favour of surgical management. Before submitting a referral request, please ensure your patient is interested in pursuing surgical management.

  • Have you talked with your patient about the benefits/risks of surgery versus conservative management?

Some patients prefer to manage their condition non-operatively. Before referring your patient to the EBJC, make sure your patient is interested in pursuing surgical assessment.

  • Have conservative measures been exhausted?

Prior to seeing an orthopaedic surgeon, patients will be seen by an assessment physician who will review all non-surgical options with them. If your patient has not optimized non-operative treatment, the assessment physician may recommend further non-operative treatment prior to being referred to a surgeon.

Conservative management
can include:

Hip and Knee

Physical Therapy

An active exercise rehabilitation program will improve your patient’s conditioning, provide greater support to their joint, and improve joint function, even if they have moderate to severe OA.

General information on resources available to your patient can be found on our Community Resources  or Physical Therapy and AHS pages.

For more information on physical therapy for hip/knee OA, please click here. The EBJC has also partnered with CORe to develop an exercise program intended to help increase your patient’s strength and functionality. You can find it here. You can can also find home exercises for osteoarthritis here.

Weight Optimization

Increased body weight can contribute to hip/knee pain; even small amounts of weight loss have shown improvements in pain management thanks to less stress on a patient’s joints.

The goal is to reduce the patient’s BMI to less than 40 before they go for surgery. People with BMIs of over 40 have an increased risk of post-operative infections, which can lead to negative surgical outcomes. Referral to a dietitian can help a patient lose weight.

Bracing, orthotics, and walking aids

Bracing and orthotics can help stabilize or offload an arthritic joint and provide an improvement in symptoms and function. You can learn more about knee braces here.

Walking aids can assist in maintaining activity even in cases of moderate to severe OA. Our ‘Walking Aids’ handout can be found here.

Analgesics

Before being referred for surgical assessment, your patient should trial taking appropriate analgesics for at least 3 months. These can include Tylenol for arthritis and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication.

You can find more information on using medications to treat arthritic pain here.

Injections

Cortisone injections, when used prudently, can be considered after a discussion with your patient about the risks/benefits of this treatment.

Hyaluronic acid injections may be beneficial in cases of symptomatic arthritis, especially for patients with mild to moderate arthritis.

You can learn more about injections for hip/knee arthritis here.

Shoulder

Physical Therapy

An active exercise rehabilitation program will improve your patient’s conditioning, provide greater support to their joint, and improve joint function, even if they have moderate to severe arthritis.

General information on resources available to your patient can be found on our Community Resources  or Physical Therapy and AHS pages.

Analgesics

Before being referred for surgical assessment, your patient should trial taking appropriate analgesics for at least 3 months. These include Tylenol for arthritis and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication.

You can find more information on using medications to treat arthritic pain here.

Injections

Cortisone injections, when used prudently, can be considered after a discussion with your patient about the risks/benefits of this treatment.

Hyaluronic acid injections may be beneficial in cases of symptomatic arthritis, especially for patients with mild to moderate arthritis.

You can learn more about injections for shoulder pain here.

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.