How to Find the Best Knee Surgeon

Undergoing knee replacement is a big decision and one that shouldn’t be taken lightly. Keys to the success of your knee replacement surgery are finding the right surgeon to perform it and the right clinic where you can have it done. There are a lot of orthopaedic surgeons out there and many of them do fine work. But how to find the best knee surgeon if you’ve never done anything like this before? The answer is that you’ll need to be patient and methodical and adhere to the basic process we’ll lay out below.

Tips for How to Find the Best Knee  Surgeon

Finding a surgeon with a history of successful knee replacement outcomes will provide you with the best chance of returning to your active lifestyle without any speed bumps or setbacks. The following tips will help you select the best surgeon for the job and for you.

Ask for Referrals

It’s likely that your primary care physician can provide you the names of several qualified orthopaedic surgeons. Doctors tend to network more vigorously than people in just about any other profession and are well aware of the capabilities of their colleagues. Ask your doctor why they recommended this surgeon or that and make careful note of their reasons. If you have a physical therapist there is a good chance they know an orthopaedic doctor or two as well, so don’t be shy about asking them for referrals.

Take the list of referrals provided by your primary care physician and physical therapist and cross check it with your insurance plan. If you choose an orthopaedic surgeon who is outside of your plan it may affect how much you’ll be expected to cover out of pocket.

Evaluate the Surgeon’s Credentials

Once you’ve narrowed the field down to one or two surgeons take some time to review their background including their education, what degrees they hold and from which universities, where they did their residency and any specialized training or credentials. It’s also important to note if they are board certified. And if they’ve been singled out by their peers for special recognition that’s important too.

Another crucial aspect of judging a surgeon’s capabilities is finding out how many knee replacement procedures they have performed. If they’re like the surgeons at Orthopaedic Riga that number will be in the hundreds. If knee replacement is something the orthopaedic surgeon only does occasionally you may want to consider someone else.

Meet with the Surgeon

The final step in the evaluation process is to meet with the surgeons who comprise your short list face to face. Discuss your situation in depth, ask lots of questions, take note of whether they put you at ease while you’re talking to them and whether they answer your questions or keep looking at their watch.

Finding the Best Orthopaedic Clinic

Choosing the right orthopaedic clinic is as important as finding the right knee replacement surgeon. If the clinic is substandard you run an elevated risk of infection and other complications. Here are some of the things to consider when searching for the best orthopaedic clinic for your replacement knee surgery.

Check Online

The Internet is a great place to conduct most of your research into orthopaedic clinics. All the best have their own websites that include video tours of the facility as well as patient reviews, information about the staff and more. Refine your search geographically and if you find a clinic that appeals to you do a further search using terms like “X clinic problems” and “X clinic reviews” etc.

Find a Surgeon by Finding a Clinic

Rather than looking for a knee replacement surgeon first many people find their surgeon by looking for orthopaedic surgery and sports medicine clinics first. It’s a perfectly valid way to proceed because frankly, the best surgeons typically work in the best clinics. So once you’ve narrowed down your choice of clinics for knee surgery look into the experience and credentials of the surgical staff and keep the following in mind:

●        Experience – Those with the most experience with orthopaedic surgeries are likely to produce the best results. It’s the same with any profession. You want your knee replacement surgeon to be as comfortable as possible with the procedure, not feeling their way as they go.

●        Staff – As we said you’re going to spend most of your time at the clinic interacting with the support staff so it’s important that they are as helpful and knowledgeable as possible. Read customer reviews to get an idea what the support staff are like. And if you choose a clinic abroad make sure the staff speaks English.

●        Facility – Is the clinic clean and spacious? Are the operating theatres fitted with the most modern equipment? Are the patient rooms well-appointed with wifi, up to date TVs, comfortable beds, AC and more? Such things are important during knee surgery recovery. Also, make sure it’s centrally located so you can get to it easily.

●        Patient experience – And speaking of patient reviews, no assessment of an orthopaedic clinic is complete without weighing the experience of the people who’ve had their knee replacement there. Fancy marketing is all well and good but if the marketing is saying one thing and the patients are saying something else go with the patient reviews every time.

The Bottom Line

How to find the best knee surgeon is not rocket science. Whether you begin your search for the best orthopaedic knee surgeon by looking for a clinic first or the surgeon first the most important thing is to be patient. The information you need is out there. It’s just a matter of finding it. Orthopaedic Riga is one of the most trusted orthopaedic clinics in Northern Europe staffed by some of the most experienced orthopaedic surgeons you’ll find anywhere. Contact our UK patient representative today to find out more about the clinic, its surgical staff, its support staff and the facilities. Or to ask any questions you may have including “What is orthopaedic surgery?” and “Why should I have knee replacement in Riga?”