Orthopaedic surgery

Whether it's for knees, hips, hands, arms, legs or back, our orthopaedic services provide care from pre-surgery through to rehabilitation to get you moving.

Caregiver assisting an elderly patient by holding their arm whilst they walk using the parallel bars for assistance in a rehabilitation room.

Orthopaedic surgery treats conditions affecting the musculoskeletal system: bones, joints, muscles, ligaments and tendons.

You may need care to get you moving after sporting injuries such as broken bones or ligament repair, or to reduce pain in your joints caused by wear and tear over time such as hip and knee replacements.

Orthopaedic care includes services for:

  • knee and hip disorders and ligament reconstructions
  • shoulder, elbow, wrist and hand problems
  • joint replacements and reconstructions for hip, knee, shoulder, elbow, hand and wrist, foot and ankle
  • foot and ankle disorders
  • sports-related injury management
  • spinal injuries
  • paediatric orthopaedics.

Our highly skilled surgeons and caregivers use the latest techniques and equipment to improve your movement and ability to participate in activities you enjoy.

We provide care from evaluation and management, through to surgery and rehabilitation to help you return to your daily activities as quickly as possible.

Benefits of our orthopaedic surgery services

Advantages of our orthopaedic surgery services:

  • all your orthopaedic care needs from evaluation to rehabilitation
  • access to a multidisciplinary team, including leading orthopaedic surgeons
  • efficient and up-to-date theatres
  • forward thinking orthopaedic developments in research, and development.

These benefits depend on your particular circumstances and require you to fully participate in necessary before and after care and management. You should consult a specialist in this area before deciding whether surgery is suitable for you.

Orthopaedics at St John of God Geraldton Hospital


Our internationally trained orthopaedic surgeons at St John of God Geraldton Hospital are skilled and experienced in joint replacement, sports, and trauma surgery as well as skills in caring for people with a range of orthopaedic conditions.

You can get access to care close to home by choosing to see one of our local resident orthopaedic surgeons who live and work in Geraldton, or a visiting consultant.

Find your orthopaedic surgeon of choice by browsing our Find a specialist search.

Orthopaedic care at St John of God Geraldton Hospital gives you access to some of the latest surgical and rehabilitation techniques currently available.

If you are having a total knee replacement, our new 3D CT scan and rapid 3D plastic printing allows precision optimisation of your knee joint to speed up your recovery period and reduce your pain levels, while also reducing your risk of infection from surgical instruments.

Furthermore, we can use customised software to help guide you through your rehabilitation and track your activity level and function to see the improvements your surgery has made.

Becoming familiar with what to expect when you come to St John of God Geraldton Hospital for orthopaedic surgery help you and your family prepare for your upcoming admission.

Find out more about what to expect when you come to hospital:

In addition to the comprehensive surgical care provided at St John of God Geraldton Hospital, you also have access to rehabilitation services to help you get moving after surgery.

Your rehabilitation starts soon after surgery, with our multidisciplinary team including doctors, nurses and physiotherapists working together to manage your pain and increase your range of movement.

We are currently undertaking a dedicated bicycle study to evaluate the strength, range of movement and power before and after surgery in people who have knee replacements. This study is just one way we are enhancing our care to improve patient outcomes.

Costs and fee payment options

If you have private health insurance, the costs for your hospital stay and specialist fees may be covered by your health fund, based on your level of cover.

If you don’t have private health insurance, you can access treatment at a St John of God Health Care hospital through our self-funded care option.

When you use your private health insurance, you get benefits that include access to St John of God Health Care private hospital facilities, your choice of specialist, minimal wait times, and with an eligible policy most of your hospital costs can be covered by your private health insurance fund.

You should contact your health insurer to understand your level of cover, and whether your policy is subject to additional fees such as a hospital excess or other ‘out-of-pocket’ expenses. Your health insurer will also be able to assist in understanding if you will have doctor, radiology and pathology out-of-pocket costs.

Patients who don’t have private health insurance can choose to access St John of God Health Care private hospital services and treatments by paying fees themselves.

By accessing our self-funded care option, you’ll be able to avoid wait times and have your surgery or treatment with your choice of specialist at a St John of God Health Care private hospital.

If you have received an invoice for an expense associated with treatment from a St John of God Health Care service you can pay your bill online.