How to be an active participant in your orthopaedic surgical treatment.

When facing major surgery to your bones and joints, the information about your treatment and what you need to do can be overwhelming.  As daunting as that can be, learning and preparation are key to achieve your best possible outcome from your surgery. That’s because beyond the expertise of your orthopaedic surgeon, the patient – you – has the most important role to play in regained mobility.

“My surgeon told me that a satisfactory result from my operation depended 20% on his skill and 80% on the effort I put into my recovery,” says Joan Cunnington, peer support volunteer with the Canadian Orthopaedic Foundation’s Ortho Connect program.

There is much that can be done to get ready for that important day. The Canadian Orthopaedic Foundation provides the following checklist of pre-surgery activities to help patients prepare:

• Follow your orthopaedic surgeon's orders – he or she is looking out for you;
• Learn from someone who’s been there.  Sign up for the Ortho Connect peer support program to be matched with a trained volunteer who has already undergone similar surgical treatment available at http://orthoconnect.org/index.php/en/client-request-for-services
• Maintain or attain a healthy weight;
• Arrange any supportive care, if needed, in preparation for discharge from hospital;
• If you will be recovering at home, consider accommodations to living and sleeping arrangements – such as moving a bed downstairs – to support your recovery on one level and avoid the use of stairs;
• Find out if you will need physiotherapy after your surgery, and find a clinic close to home.  And, stick with it, says Joan.  “It took two years of physiotherapy and exercising to regain the full flexion and extension of my operated knee,” says Joan. “The effort was totally worthwhile because I am now able to play tennis again and have helped my team win a championship."

Still have questions?

Read about other people's experiences, ask questions and find resources in your community. Register to gain access to online content here.

Talk to someone who has been there. If you’d like to access the Ortho Connect Phone Program, call the Canadian Orthopaedic Foundation at 1-800-461-3639, or click here to complete an application form.

This website is produced free of charge by the Canadian Orthopaedic Foundation, Canada’s charity dedicated to bone and joint health. It is through your kind generosity that we are able to update and maintain this site and the Ortho Connect Peer Support Program. Please give generously to help thousands of Canadians cope with and recover from their orthopaedic journey. Donate Now