Orthopaedic surgery is a specialised area of medicine that helps treat conditions affecting your bones, joints and their surrounding soft tissue (your muscles, ligaments, tendons and nerves). Your bones, joints and their associate structures are known as your musculoskeletal system. Your musculoskeletal system protects your vital organs, supports your bodily functions and allows you to move properly.
Our dedicated orthopaedic centre at The Edgbaston Hospital in Birmingham provides a range of expert services to treat painful orthopaedic conditions that restrict mobility, keep you awake at night, and generally affect your quality of life.
At The Edgbaston Hospital, we provide people across the West Midlands and further afield with excellent standards of orthopaedic care in a small, comfortable hospital with a friendly atmosphere. Our highly trained and experienced orthopaedic consultants work with dedicated healthcare professionals, including nurses and chartered physiotherapists, who work together to help you get better as quickly as possible.
As mentioned above, orthopaedic surgery is a medical speciality that treats musculoskeletal problems affecting bones and joints and surrounding soft tissues like tendons and muscles. It covers most body areas, including the hips, knees, elbows, fingers, wrists, shoulder, spine, feet and ankles.
As surgical specialists, our orthopaedic surgeons can diagnose and treat overused or injured bones, joints and soft tissues, or pain from chronic osteoarthritis or an inherited disorder such as Dupuytren's disease.
Our consultant orthopaedic surgeons work in expert teams, including anaesthetists, radiologists, nurses and physiotherapists. They include sub-specialists, such as hand surgeons, neurosurgeons, head and neck surgeons, podiatric surgeons, neurophysiologists, and rheumatologists.
Faisal Hussain, consultant orthopaedic surgeon at The Priory Hospital, says: "Orthopaedic surgeons specialise in specific areas of the body. I specialise in shoulder and knee problems. Some colleagues specialise solely in hips. Others in hips and knees. We also have hand surgeons and specialist spinal surgeons."
Your specialist consultant at The Edgbaston Hospital will advise you on why you need orthopaedic surgery, but the most common conditions are osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, spinal problems, and injuries.
- Osteoarthritis is a painful degenerative condition affecting around 9 million people in the UK. It impacts the cartilage lining the joint, causing stiffness and pain
- Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic disease affecting 400,000 people in the UK, primarily women. It is an autoimmune and inflammatory condition where the body’s immune system targets the membrane protecting the joint. Treatment options range from medication to surgery
- Spinal problems such as compressed nerves in your spine lead to pain in your back or leg (sciatica). A common cause of nerve pressure is a slipped disc or spinal stenosis, both of which can be treated with surgery
- Sports and other injuries such as accidents can cause ligament tears or stretches, muscle strains or bone fractures
You may have tried lifestyle changes such as losing weight, over-the-counter painkillers, or non-surgical treatment such as physiotherapy, before being referred to a consultant orthopaedic surgeon.
Non-surgical methods to reduce and manage joint pain include:
Steroid injection therapy
Also known as steroid injection therapy, this treatment involves injections of steroid medication (corticosteroid) into your painful joint. This can effectively reduce pain and inflammation, and the effects can last anywhere from a few weeks to a few months. This form of pain relief may be recommended if you can't take oral anti-inflammatories for any reason.
Oral anti-inflammatories
These can either be prescribed by your GP or your consultant. They reduce swelling in your joint, which can lessen stiffness and pain. Your doctor might also recommend using heat therapy (in the form of icepacks or heat pads) to reduce swelling or numb your joint pain. Heat therapy can be used in addition to anti-inflammatory medication.
Physiotherapy
Physiotherapy for joint pain comprises a specialist exercise programme designed to strengthen the muscles around your joints, improving mobility and - in taking the pressure of your joints - reducing your pain. It can be a highly effective treatment and many people see amazing results.
If these do not help alleviate your symptoms, you might need surgery. Your surgeon will assess whether other options will help before booking you in for surgery, if needed.
We provide a variety of orthopaedic treatment options at The Edgbaston, including:
Knee arthroscopy
A knee arthroscopy is a type of surgery used to examine the inside of your knee joint. It is used to diagnose a range of knee problems, and certain conditions can also be treated during the same operation. You might also hear it referred to as arthroscopic knee surgery.
Knee replacement surgery
Knee replacement surgery is an operation to treat knee pain. The procedure involves removing bits of your knee joint that have become damaged and replacing them with artificial elements, also known as implants or a prosthesis. This should remove the source of your pain, helping you to walk more easily and letting you get back to living life as normal.
Hip replacement surgery
Like knee replacement surgery, hip replacement surgery involves removing bits of your hip joint that have become damaged and replacing them with artificial elements, also known as implants or a prosthesis.
ACL reconstruction surgery
ACL reconstruction surgery is a type of knee surgery that involves repairing or reconstructing your anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). This can be done using a number of different methods.
The ACL is a tough band of tissue in your knee joint that joins your thigh bone to your shin bone. It runs diagonally through the inside of your knee, helping to control the back-and-forth movement of your lower leg and to stabilise your knee joint.
Your consultant orthopaedic specialist will assess you at your first appointment in one of Edgbaston's 10 consulting rooms.
They may send you for various diagnostic tests to confirm their diagnosis, such as an ECG (electrocardiogram) to detect heart issues, blood tests, an X-Ray, or a magnetic resonance imaging scan (MRI). Afterwards, your surgeon will explain the risks and benefits of surgical and non-surgical treatment options.
Going ahead with orthopaedic surgery
If you and your surgeon decide to go ahead with surgery after your conversation, it will take place at The Edgbaston Hospital if it's a day case, or The Priory Hospital if surgery is more invasive.
Mr Hussain says: "We do a lot of keyhole surgeries, such as knee arthroscopy for meniscal tears. We also perform more major surgeries such as joint replacements and revision surgery."
Both general and local anaesthesia is used in orthopaedic surgeries, but major surgeries always require general anaesthesia (you go to sleep and will not remember the operation).
Mr Hussain says: "Sometimes hand surgeons will do a minor operation like carpal tunnel decompressions under a local block, where they freeze the part being operated on. That's often the case with hand surgery and some foot surgery."
The surgery itself
Once you've had the anaesthetic, you'll be taken to the theatre, where the team will have everything ready for your operation. When the procedure is complete, they will take you to a recovery area where you'll stay for up to 30 minutes before going to your comfortable private room with an en-suite bathroom.
The length of your hospital stay will depend on the procedure. If it's a knee or hip replacement, you may be in The Edgbaston Hospital for two days. If you're having hand surgery at The Edgbaston, you might be able to return home that day.
No surgery is risk-free. Our surgeons will discuss the risks and benefits of your specific treatment during their consultations with you, providing care tailored to you. Some risks include blood clots, infection, and nerve damage. These can all be treated and are generally rare.
When you choose to go private with Circle Health Group, you can expect:
- Flexible appointment times to fit your schedule
- The freedom to choose your hospital and your consultant
- Bespoke, consultant-led treatment plans tailored to your individual needs
- Private ensuite rooms as standard
- Tasty and nutritious meals cooked onsite to your dietary requirements
- Support from the same compassionate clinical team from beginning to end
- Affordable, fixed-price packages with aftercare included
- Flexible payment options to help spread the cost of your care
If you want to know more about our services, book your appointment online today or call a member of our team directly on 0141 300 5009.
Content reviewed by Circle in-house team in October 2022. Next review due October 2025.
