The body’s joints, particularly our knees and hips, tend to seize up as a natural result of ageing. However, trauma and illness can also affect them prematurely, leading to pain and swelling caused by inflammation and, in time, they experience difficulty standing and walking. South Africa has no shortage of hip surgeons, but choosing the right one can significantly impact the outcome of your surgery and post-op recovery time.
Whether you merely require arthroscopy to wash out bone and cartilage fragments following an injury or need a total joint replacement, the following paragraphs contain essential tips and questions to help you choose the orthopaedic specialist who will best meet your needs.
Hip Surgeons: The Selection Criteria
You could start the process with a Google search for “orthopaedic specialists near me”. Residents of Gauteng will find the list is lengthy and needs to be refined. Checking the following criteria should prove helpful:
- Qualifications and experience: Look for a board-certified orthopaedic surgeon whose subspeciality is hip surgery or joint replacement. Only those who have undergone fellowship training in these fields will have developed and perfected the specific skills required for your surgery. Next, enquire about the number of relevant hip surgeries the specialist has performed. The higher the volume, the more experience they will have gained.
- Reputation: You will often find glowing testimonials to hip surgeons posted by patients on websites and social media. Alternatively, you could consult a dedicated healthcare review site like RateMDs to gain insight into a surgeon’s reputation. Also, your physiotherapist, general practitioner, and other healthcare providers will often have firsthand experience with local orthopaedic surgeons, which could be helpful.
- Hospital and surgical facility: Surgeons operate from hospitals and clinics, and the available facilities can influence the quality of their work. Enquire about their infection rates and overall patient outcomes for hip surgery. A top-tier hospital with state-of-the-art facilities, experienced staff and comprehensive post-operative care programmes will ensure successful surgery and smooth recovery.
- Surgical techniques and technology: Hip surgery has advanced considerably since the first attempts to repair this complex joint. Ask if hip surgeons are experienced in minimally invasive techniques for your condition, as these can significantly reduce the risk of complications like infections and excessive blood loss and minimise your post-operative recovery time.
- Book Appointments with One or Two Prospects
Ultimately, the best way to make up your mind about surgeons is to meet them. Making an appointment will give you an opportunity to check out a clinic’s environment, the friendliness of its staff and their willingness to assist you. Talking to a surgeon will allow you to evaluate characteristics like understanding, compassion, and the ability to listen and explain things at length, all factors that help to inspire confidence.
Finding the Best Hip Surgeons in South Africa
Under the leadership of Dr Jan De Vos, the team of skilled surgeons in the orthopaedic unit at Pretoria’s Wilgers Life Hospital has become a preferred referral destination for patients in South Africa and numerous overseas countries seeking state-of-the-art surgical facilities and experienced perfectionists to perform their hip, knee and shoulder surgery. If you have chronic pain and swelling in your hip, ask your GP to refer you or contact us online to book a consultation.
