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Good decisions start with good information. Our blog and education section is designed to help you understand common orthopaedic conditions, treatment options and recovery pathways in a simple, patient friendly way. Each article is written to offer clarity without medical jargon, giving you confidence as you navigate your health journey. What You’ll Find in This Section Our blog includes a growing collection of guides, insights and explanations covering topics such as: Joint Conditions Learn about the causes, symptoms and treatment paths for issues affecting the hip, knee, shoulder and other joints. Injury Management & Prevention From sports injuries to everyday strains, we share practical advice on managing pain, preventing re-injury and staying active. Understanding Surgical Options If you’re considering or preparing for surgery, these articles outline what to expect before, during and after your procedure. Rehabilitation & Recovery Tips Guidance on exercises, movement strategies and lifestyle adjustments to help support a smoother healing process. Advances in Orthopaedic Care Information on modern surgical techniques, new technologies and evidence based approaches used in joint replacement and sports injury management. Who These Articles Are For Our education content is designed for Patients exploring their treatment options. Individuals preparing for or recovering from surgery. Families wanting to support a loved one and anyone interested in understanding orthopaedic health. Whether you are dealing with arthritis, a recent injury or long standing joint pain, you’ll find information that is practical, easy to follow and relevant to your situation. Written With Care All articles are created to reflect, Clear and simple explanations. Accurate and evidence based information. Guidance aligned with Mr Shah’s treatment approach. A supportive, reassuring tone. Our aim is to help you feel informed, not overwhelmed. Browse the Latest Articles New content is added regularly. Topics may include, Recognising early signs of hip or knee arthritis, Managing shoulder pain at home, When to consider joint replacement, Exercises to support joint preservation, Understanding MRI and X-ray findings, and How long recovery takes after common procedures. If there is a topic you would like us to cover, please let our team know. Helping You Make Confident Choices We believe that knowledge empowers patients. These articles are here to give you clarity, answer common questions and support better conversations during your consultations. Explore the topics that interest you and if anything prompts further questions, we’re here to help.

Even when it’s the only good option for treatment, choosing to have knee surgery is a big decision. Orthopaedic surgery is a major life event for every patient, because it carries both significant risks and profound benefits for health. It takes a lot of work, and always involves discipline and diligence in adhering to rehabilitative regimes over a period of time; but it also delivers life-changing improvements in physical function that can’t be achieved any other way. For your knee surgery to be successful in the long term, you should ensure that you’re properly prepared for it. This planning should involve accommodating periods of inactivity, preparing to manage pain and surgical wounds, and getting ready for a long rehabilitative phase involving physiotherapy and structured exercise. All of these factors are manageable as long as you’re armed with the right information—which you can get by asking your surgeon a few questions about your surgery. What do I have to do before the surgery? Your doctor will consider many things when planning your treatment, including how extensive the surgery is, your general health and existing issues, your normal level of activity, and your age. These things will help your doctor to determine what risks you face, including both the general risks particular to your surgery, and where you are at greater risk because of your personal circumstances. Your doctor can then recommend or arrange protective factors to reduce your risk in these areas. If you’re taking medications, your doctor will review them, and you may have to change some of them for a period before and after your surgery. You might also have to change your diet, activities, and health behaviour. For example, you will need to change anticoagulant medications, stop smoking, or lose some weight prior to your surgery if your doctor believes they are likely to cause complications and danger. What risks are there in the surgery? Every surgery carries risk, whether it’s from the patient’s health, the anaesthetic, the inactivity afterwards, or the surgical procedure itself. The risk will vary between procedures—a simple arthroscopy will obviously carry less risk than a total knee replacement—which is why it’s important to get a clear picture from your doctor about the risks involved in your surgery, and the risks to you as an individual, before you consent to treatment. Your surgeon will determine your specific level of risk, and outline ways to minimise it. This may mean taking higher doses of anticoagulant therapy to prevent clots from forming in your blood, changing or stopping the medications you take for pain and inflammation, or having a different intravenous drip and extra blood glucose levels taken if you’re diabetic.  If your doctor believes that your risk is too high, you may need to delay or cancel your surgery until your issues are resolved and it’s safe to operate. What does the surgery involve? Your doctor will explain how your procedure is performed, including how they will operate, and how you’ll be positioned, anaesthetised, assessed, and cared for. Your surgeon will likely also show you what your joint implants look like, and what materials they’re made of, so you know how they work. This information is useful after the surgery when you’re monitoring the progress of your healing, and so you’re prepared for possibilities like setting off metal detectors at the airport. Although it varies between patients for any number of reasons, it’s still important to ask about how long your recovery time should be. You might be surprised to learn how soon you’ll be up walking around and showering after your surgery—and you might be equally as surprised to learn how long it takes to completely recover from an ACL repair. Knowing these things can help you prepare yourself better for your admission to hospital, and the demands of the recovery period. What can I expect in the long term? Although your surgery aims to improve your quality of life with better pain relief, mobility, and stability, it’s likely that you’ll have to make long-term changes to your lifestyle following your surgery. This can be a limit on the weight of things you can lift, or exercises you’ll need to continue doing for a long time. You may also need to modify your participation in some sports and activities, as some movements can cause more impact and wear on your knee and the materials used to repair or replace the joint. Your surgeon will discuss with you what activities are suitable for you, and how to take the best care of your knee so that the benefits of your surgery will last a long time. Being informed about your knee surgery is an important part of a successful outcome: it can help you monitor your progress, manage your lifestyle, and reduce your risks. For the latest evidence-based information about your surgery, ask your knee surgeon. Brisbane patients who are considering arthroscopy, ACL repair, or knee replacement can contact  Dr Viral Shah Orthopaedics at any time for more information, and we’ll be happy to help.

More than a third of Australians are suffering right now from bunions, one of the most common—but most painful and unsightly—afflictions treated by foot doctors. A bunion is a bony swelling on the base joint of the big toe, which causes arthritis and shifts the big toe inwards and towards the second toe over time. Shorter surgery time There are risks in any surgery, including those from the general anaesthetic used to put the patient to sleep. The surgeries themselves also have their own inherent risks, and generally, the longer the surgery, the more risk to the patient. There is also more pain with more extensive surgeries, because more work must be done to access the part of the body that needs to be repaired—which is why keyhole surgery was developed. Minimally invasive bunion surgery uses keyhole access—just a 5-10mm incision in the foot instead of the extensive opening of traditional surgery—to access and repair the bone joint. The technique involves much less soft tissue and bone dissection, which means shorter surgery time, and less risk for the patient. Less pain Bunion surgery used to mean a lot of pain. Patients would suffer from their wound site, which was large and deep and took a long time to heal. They also suffered a lot of pain which prevented them from using their affected foot at all for some time, and reduced their mobility when they were finally able to weight bear on it again—which in turn caused pain to the knees and back. Minimally invasive foot surgery involves a lot less surgical damage, which means a lot less inflammation and pain. Patients can go home sooner, and can walk on their foot sooner, which prevents pain in the rest of the body from compensating for the foot. Patients also need significantly less pain relief over their recovery, which reduces the risks of using pain medication. Cosmetic benefits Traditional bunion surgery leaves large, unsightly scarring on the foot. Because the surgery involves extensive dissection of tissue and bone, there is usually a significant amount of scar tissue build up that affects the appearance of the foot and contributes to pain over the long term. Keyhole bunion surgery results in a very small scar, only a few millimetres long. Because the surgical incision is so small, there is less opportunity for irregular or deforming tissue to accumulate as it heals, so the scarring is usually barely noticeable and can even fade over time. As long as there are no complications or individual factors influencing the procedure, minimally invasive bunion surgery only improves the cosmetic appearance of the feet. Better long-term outcomes The chances of the bunion growing back after keyhole surgery are also lower than for traditional surgery. It’s likely that as more orthopaedic surgeons train in minimally invasive surgery techniques, they’ll become the gold standard for bunion treatment, as they have for other surgeries like appendectomies. Until then, if you’re considering this new treatment option, it’s important to choose a skilled and experienced orthopaedic surgeon. Brisbane bunion patients can contact  Dr Viral Shah Orthopaedics anytime for more information—we’ll be happy to show you how  Dr Viral Shah can safely reduce your pain and restore your foot function with the latest surgical innovations.

After knee surgery the rehabilitation and recovery process play a crucial role in helping you get back on your feet and to a healthy, active lifestyle. Of course all individuals differ in recovery time and processes, so depending on your surgery it is critical to follow the guidelines provided to you by your health care team and surgeon. In addition to following the advice given, by following a few simple principles it is possible to avoid complications and recover with the best possible outcomes from your procedure. Managing Swelling It’s likely that you’ll experience some swelling for weeks following your surgery; it’s a normal part of the healing process. To keep swelling under control, have your leg elevated as much as possible for the first few days following your surgery. Elevation will also reduce bruising and additional tenderness. Ice packs are also very effective for reducing swelling and inflammation in your knee joint and surrounding tissue.  Dr Viral Shah recommends patients use a ice pack every 2-3 hours for half an hour at a time (when awake) for the first week, post-surgery. And for the second week, use the ice pack 3-4 times per day from half an hour at a time. Get a recommendation from your doctor if you if you see no improvement, or if you think additional icing might help. Dressing Care You will leave the hospital with a dressing covering your knee. It’s important to keep your incision clean and dry. Your surgeon will tell you when you can shower or bathe, and when you should change the dressing. It’s important to follow any instructions given to you by your medical team; it will prevent potential complications following your surgery. At your post-operative visit with  Dr Viral Shah, which normally occurs 12-14 days after the surgery, plasters and dressings will be removed, inspected and redressed if needed. Managing Pain After surgery, you will feel some pain. This is a natural part of the healing process for you knee. Your doctor and physiotherapist will be there to reduce your pain, which can even help your recovery speed up. Medications will also be prescribed for short-term pain relief after your surgery. Bearing Weight After any knee surgery, most patients will need crutches or other assistance to walk and move around. Bearing too much or too little weight onto a freshly operated knee can cause problems in your recovery, so it is essential that you refer to your surgeon or physiotherapist to know when it is safe to put weight back onto your knee.   Getting regular exercise Exercises will play an important role in how well you recover; it will restore motion and strengthen the muscles of your leg and knee. And for most, should be started as soon as you have regained muscle control of your knee, but always follow the recommendations of your health care team. While exercising can help post-operative pain, it is important to avoid particular positions that can cause damage – this includes squatting, jumping, twisting or kneeling.  Walking and excessive exercise makes the knee swell. Depending on your surgery, this is counterproductive to the first aim and therefore should be limited, or done under the direction of your physiotherapist. It’s important to know that with some knee surgery, particularly a TKR, it is not necessary to get either fit or strong in the early weeks of your recovery, you just need good knee flexion. In the case that you are seeing a physiotherapist, ensure you do all the exercises they prescribe. These exercises will help strengthen muscles, increase your range or motion and increase blood flow around your knee. This promotes healing and helps drain fluid away from sore tissue. Physiotherapy Therapeutic exercise might also play a particularly important role in how well you recover; it will simulate blood flow and reduce pain in your knee and the surrounding areas. Getting the right support It’s important to know that you are not alone when it comes to recovering from a knee surgery, and that your surgeon, doctor or physiotherapist can give you advice and tips. So, discuss your level of pain and inflammation with your medical team and report any abrupt changes you might see or feel. At  Dr Viral Shah Orthopaedics you can call  Dr Viral Shah rooms on 1300 478 375 if you have any concerns prior to your first post-operative visit. If you a have a knee problem and need advice or information about treatment and surgery, contact  Dr Viral Shah Orthopaedics, your orthopaedic specialist in Brisbane.

Undergoing a major surgery can be one of the most stressful, and emotionally and physically taxing periods of a person’s life. Even if the surgery has been scheduled for months, it still doesn’t prepare the individual and people around them for the radical changes to come. Many people report that after someone close to them has surgery, they never expected the impact that their temporary immobility would have. In particular, circumstances may be more difficult if that person is a parent and responsible for the cooking, cleaning, driving, running after kids, and doing their own job! It is absolutely imperative that prior to surgery, plans are set into place for the individual’s recovery and also what will happen once they aren’t functioning as ordinary. If their partner is working full time or they live alone, who will help them drive to appointments? What about grocery shopping and cooking? How will someone also be able to care for them, both during triumphs and setbacks?  These are all the types of issues that need to be considered pre-surgery and some of the best ways to care for someone you know in recovery.  From our experiences, and listening to the stories of our patients, these are our careful tips to helping someone you know after surgery. Make a schedule Some people are lucky enough they have a family member who can take a few weeks off their job and be the full-time carer. Others, not so much. For most, it can be a patchwork of having their mum and dad one day, their partner on the weekends, and friends dropping around now and then. It is important to work together as a family unit and prepare and a detailed schedule of who, when and how long someone will be with the patient. Plan for any necessary appointments, driving children to events, a meal plan, and even time for the patient to leave their bed. Make sure people are around if they simply want to spend an hour out for lunch or in the park. Ask questions Before they even leave the hospital, make sure another person is attending a post-surgery appointment with the doctor. Not only is that important so they have a physical support, but to ensure the patient isn’t left to ask all the questions about their recovery. It is completely normal they will feel in pain and tired after surgery so to expect them to ask and then remember critical answers is extraordinary. If you are attending the appointment, have a list of issues you want to discuss such as medications, exercises, or specific caring tips. Make detailed notes of what the doctor says so you can easily follow it, or another person can if they are stepping in as a carer. Throughout the entire recovery process, your goal should be to alleviate as much stress from the patient as possible. Taking responsibility for how often they need to be bandaged or being alert to symptoms of infections are crucial steps to helping them.  Make the house recovery-ready It is often ideal to have a central location they rest where they can easily get to and from (and hopefully it is close to a bathroom)! If they are based in the lounge room, then make sure their most-used items are near them. Whether it be a phone charger, tissues, water, or favourite book – ensure they aren’t having to be getting up and down to grab things. For those using crutches, try to get any obstacles out of their road and nothing that will make them slip. Door mats and thin rugs often pose problems for those not so confident on crutches, so having them out of the way is ideal! Other considerations include seats or rails for them in the shower and how they will get up stairs (if they have any)! Useful gifts Flowers are always a go-to when someone is sick or injured. But, let’s think about it, flowers aren’t always the key to recovery. Instead of adding more fragrance into their room, it is an excellent idea to consider more practical gifts that will help them out, even just a little bit. We suggest: These are just a few of the tips we provide to all the carers of our patients when they are getting ready for the road to recovery. If you want more information about this or our other services, then please get in touch!

Before people have surgery, one of the most common questions we are asked is how fast they can get back to their regular life. How soon can they go back to work or will they be immediately able to drive? Everyone is desperate to recover within one or two days and bounce back to supreme health in an instant. We understand there is an urgency not to be bed-ridden but trying to “recover” too quickly will only deteriorate your long-term health and possibly undo the critical improvements made thanks to surgery. To help answer some of your questions in advance and make sure your recovery is exactly that – recovery – we have developed a guide to the dos and don’ts of post-surgery activities. From how soon you can walk to getting back into sport, these are your must-knows. Remember, every surgery is different, particularly dependent on the part of your body which has been operated upon, so this is general advice. When can I walk again? Walking straight away poses the most issues for individuals who have had foot-related surgeries. For surgeries including hammer toe correction, bunions and arthrodesis of the metatarsophalangeal someone can usually begin walking immediately, but it is recommended to have a stiff shoe. The stiff shoe relieves the pressure on the foot, so you put weight on parts of the foot that aren’t painful. In comparison, surgeries such as the Cavovarus foot correction, Subtalar joint fusion, and triple fusion, the walking date won’t be for another six to eight weeks. Even then, lessening the weight and using special shoes for walking will likely be recommended. The same is true for knee and ankle surgeries, with some allowing walking from day one, possibly with the aid of a crutch, and others having longer recovery date. What about driving? Again, driving is different for everybody and every type of surgery. What’s important to remember throughout the entire process is not to ignore the instructions of medical professionals. If driving is not recommended for six weeks, then heed that advice and don’t risk your safety. While we can’t give a magic number on when you can drive again, there are a couple of signs you can look for before getting behind the wheel. Let’s use the example that you have undergone surgery on your Achilles’ tendon and the driving date is six to eight weeks after surgery for a non-automatic car. If you reach that time, it’s still important to check you are comfortable with driving. The ankle must be strong and flexible to work the pedals and have the capacity to respond in an emergency situation quickly. If you take the risk of driving before physically healthy, then your insurance will be void in the event of an accident. Also, don’t plan a Brisbane to Sydney trip as your first drive after surgery. Start with short distances and gradually build it up. Never miss a post-recovery appointment. Perhaps you are three weeks into your recovery, everything is a bit less painful and stiff, and you can do basic things like walk around the block or cook dinner. Everything seems to be on track. It is at this stage of recovery when people start missing their physiotherapist or post-operative appointments because everything seems to be going fine! That’s the exact point: our medical team recommend purposeful appointments to ensure you have an optimal recovery. Adding onto that, if you have been prescribed certain physical exercises then create a routine of doing them. Gradually getting back into exercise. Again, what types of exercise you are capable of will change based on your surgery and also your fitness levels beforehand. Commonly suggested, regardless of foot, ankle or knee, is light walking, swimming and cycling. Once you feel comfortable with one or more of those sports, the distance you travel can be increased – as long as it is comfortable and not putting too much strain on you. After that, individuals can slowly get back into the sports they loved, whether it be contact sports like rugby league or injury-prone ones such as netball. What is imperative that through the entire process is that you are following the advice of  Dr Viral Shah or your physiotherapist. For a few surgeries, certain sports will not be possible after an operation. Both before and after your surgery, we always encourage you to ask questions, so there is no confusion about your capacities. No matter what, the advice should always be followed to ensure you stay on track to not only getting back to what you could do before surgery but be even better! Get in touch with  Dr Viral Shah if you have questions about post-operative recovery or have questions about your health. Disclaimer: this is general advice but for more specialised medical advice for your situation, seek out a qualified professional.

What is the Achilles tendon? The Achilles tendon is commonly referred to as the ‘heel cord’ and is the thick strap that can be felt running down the back of the calf into the heel. The large muscles that make up the calf (gastrocnemius and soleus) attach to the Achilles tendon and make it work. When the Achilles tendon pulls on the heel it makes us go up on tiptoe or pushes us forwards when walking or running. So, if this tendon is not working it is difficult to walk and the ankle feels weak. Tendinosis Tendinosis (sometimes tendonitis, depending on whether inflammation is involved in degeneration) is the combination of degenerative and repair processes in the tendon. Tendinosis develops gradually as the Achilles tendon and the heel become painful and a swelling may develop in or around the tendon. When the pain and swelling first appears, most people attend physiotherapy and it generally improves. However, if the pain continues to progress or not subside at all, then this is when you should get a referral and book an appointment with us. If Tendinosis is not treated, it can make even walking incredibly painful. If you are experiencing major problems, which interfere with your lifestyle, an operation may be the best course of action. The Surgery Issue: Inflammation around the tendon (tenosynovitis) but the tendon itself is reasonably healthy. Procedure: Stripping out the inflamed tendon lining often gives good results. This can often be done telescopically with only small cuts in the skin. Issue: The tendon itself is damaged (more common). Procedure: Surgery would involve a bigger cut to remove the degenerate tendon and repair the remaining tendon. If the degenerate area is localised this can give quite good results.  Issue: often degeneration has affected quite a lot of the tendon and removing it all may leave quite a large gap in the tendon. This may need a major operation to repair. Procedure: A big repair usually needs tendon borrowed from somewhere else, either higher up the Achilles tendon or from another tendon. Sometimes, if the pain is located near where the tendon joins onto bone at the heel, a small piece of bone and other tissue may need to be removed as well. This to remove pressure off the tendon so that it can heal properly. Note: The operation is almost always done under general anaesthetic (asleep). The operation can be performed using a local anaesthetic (not nearly as frequent as general), however, may not always work, resulting in general anyway. The anaesthetist ultimately decides the best choice of anaesthetic for you. Recovery It is normal to expect: Do not put any weight on your leg for the first 2 weeks! After 12-14 days, you’ll have a follow-up appointment at Dr Viral Shah’s rooms, where your plaster will be removed and the wound inspected. A walking boot (more commonly known as ‘moon boot’) will typically be applied in place of the half-plaster. Your rehabilitation will be customised from here but may involve a further period of immobilisation or early physiotherapy.  Dr Viral Shah will advise you at this appointment. You will be seen regularly after this to ensure that the tendon is healing and that physiotherapy is improving the situation. When can you…   Go back to work? Desk job: If your ankle is comfortable and you can sit with your foot up most of the time, you could go back to work within a few weeks of surgery.Heavy labour-intensive job: You may need two or three months off work or longer! Where your job sits between the two extremes will be your estimate of when you can return to work. Drive? If you drive a manual or have your right foot operated on…you’ll have to wait until your ankle is strong and flexible enough to work the pedals. This usually takes between 6-8 weeks after surgery. You do not want to rush this; you could endanger yourself in traffic or emergency situations if you drive too soon. Start driving gradually, take short trips to gauge how your ankle is performing and build up from there. If you drive an automatic and your left foot is operated on, then you can drive within a couple days of the surgery (make sure your foot is comfortable enough). Play Sport? You can gradually increase your level of activity under the guidance of your physiotherapist. Everyone recovers a different pace and will be able to participate in low-impact non-contact sports at varying times. However, it will take 9-12 months (at least!) for a person to return to sports such as football or rugby.