ACL Surgeon Perth

Private health insurance typically covers ACL reconstruction in Australia, so most of my patients are out-of-pocket only for the surgical excess on their policy and any gap on the implant or theatre fees. The exact out-of-pocket depends on your insurer, your level of cover, and your excess.

If you don't have private health cover, ACL reconstruction can be self-funded, but the theatre and implant costs are significant. I always recommend getting a quote before making a decision.

For a personalised estimate, contact my rooms on admin@jointsolutions.com.au or (08) 9243 8133 and we'll send you a fee breakdown based on your situation.

For most patients, the full return-to-sport timeline after ACL reconstruction is nine to twelve months, sometimes longer depending on the sport. The exact timeline depends on three things: graft choice, rehabilitation adherence, and the demands of your specific sport.

Most patients are weight-bearing within days of surgery and start a structured rehab program almost immediately. The first three months focus on range of motion and strength. Months three to six build sport-specific conditioning. Months six to nine are about progressive loading and testing. Months nine to twelve are return-to-sport testing and clearance.

I work closely with your physiotherapist throughout. I don't believe in arbitrary timelines, so your return depends on functional progress, not the calendar.

Wherever possible, yes. I take a repair-first approach to meniscal tears, which means if the tear pattern and tissue quality allow, I preserve as much of the meniscus as I can rather than removing it.

Why this matters: the meniscus is the knee's shock absorber, and removing it (meniscectomy) significantly increases the risk of arthritis in that compartment over the following decade. Repair preserves the joint surface.

Not every meniscal tear is repairable. Some patterns, particularly in older patients or in degenerate tissue, are better treated with partial removal. The decision is made on imaging and intra-operative findings. If you have a meniscal tear and want a second opinion on whether repair is possible, my rooms can usually see you within a week.

Yes. Multi-ligament injuries (combined ACL, PCL, MCL, LCL damage, usually from high-energy trauma or a sporting collision) are one of the more complex knee problems I manage. They typically need staged surgical planning: addressing the most unstable ligaments first, then reconstructing the others in a second procedure once the initial repair has stabilised.

The knee often has associated vascular and nerve injuries that need to be ruled out before surgery. I work closely with vascular and plastics colleagues when needed.

If you've had a knee dislocation or a high-energy injury and your knee feels profoundly unstable, contact my rooms urgently. Acute multi-ligament injuries should be reviewed within 24 to 48 hours.

For acute sports knee injuries, my rooms review every referral within 24 hours, every weekday. If your GP or sports physician has referred you, send the referral through Healthlink EDI jointsln and you'll be triaged the same day.

For self-referred patients with private health cover, you can call my rooms directly on (08) 9243 8133 or mobile 0447 282 067 to discuss urgent appointments. I consult at Subiaco Private Consulting Rooms and St John of God Midland Hospital, and I operate at Hollywood Private Hospital, Bethesda Health Care, St John of God Subiaco, St John of God Mt Lawley, and St John of God Midland.

For emergencies (locked knee, gross deformity, neurovascular compromise, inability to weight-bear), go to your nearest emergency department first.

A weight-bearing X-ray (AP, lateral, skyline) is the minimum pre-referral imaging for any acute knee injury. It rules out fracture, tibial plateau depression, and obvious degenerative change at minimal cost.

MRI is helpful but not essential before the first consult. If the patient can tolerate it and the local radiology has same-week availability, send it through with the referral (Healthlink accepts DICOM and report PDFs). If MRI is going to delay the referral by a week, just send the X-ray and I'll order the MRI myself on the first consult.

Functional assessment is the most useful clinical bit you can document: which movements hurt, can they squat, can they hop on the affected leg, is there a positive Lachman or pivot shift, any mechanical locking or catching. Five lines in your referral letter saves me ten minutes of history-taking.

Send any patient with the following straight through on Healthlink and call my rooms to flag urgency:

• Locked knee (unable to fully extend, mechanical block rather than pain)
• Gross instability on clinical exam (positive Lachman AND positive pivot shift, or multi-directional laxity)
• Suspected multi-ligament injury (high-energy mechanism, knee dislocation or near-dislocation)
• Inability to weight-bear beyond a few steps
• Neurovascular compromise (foot drop, absent pulses, cold or pale foot)

These patients need assessment within 24 hours, often surgical intervention within the first week. Don't sit on them waiting for outpatient MRI.

First-time patellar dislocations in adolescents and young adults are worth referring promptly rather than managing conservatively in the hope it doesn't happen again. The recurrence rate after a first dislocation is high (around 30 to 50 percent in the under-25s), and recurrent dislocations cause progressive cartilage damage to the medial patellar facet and the lateral femoral condyle.

I assess each patient on imaging (MRI to look for an osteochondral fragment, MPFL integrity, and trochlear morphology) and clinical exam (J-sign, patellar glide, apprehension). MPFL reconstruction is well-timed early in active patients with recurrent instability or high-risk features on first dislocation (large osteochondral fragment, severe initial injury, contralateral instability).

If you've got a young sportsperson with a patellar dislocation, send the referral through. The conversation about timing and surgical threshold is worth having sooner rather than later.

For active patients with a meniscal tear on MRI, please refer early even if the symptoms are currently manageable. The reason is simple: repair is more likely to be possible in the first few weeks after injury, before the tear edges degenerate and the surrounding tissue quality drops.

Once the tear becomes chronic or the patient has had multiple dislocations, repair often isn't feasible and we're left with meniscectomy. That sounds minor but the long-term consequence is a 2x to 4x increased risk of compartment-specific arthritis over the following decade.

For patients who aren't surgical candidates (older, low-demand, comorbidities), conservative management with physiotherapy and monitoring is appropriate and I can supervise that remotely. But for the under-50 active patient with a repairable tear pattern, please send the referral through.

I consult at Subiaco Private Consulting Rooms (144 Churchill Ave, Subiaco WA 6008) and at St John of God Midland Hospital (1 Clayton St, Midland WA 6056). Both have on-site parking and are accessible from the Perth metro and northern suburbs.

I operate at five hospitals across Perth:

• Hollywood Private Hospital (Nedlands) — primary site for ACL and sports knee work
• Bethesda Health Care (Claremont) — orthopaedic and surgical hub
• St John of God Subiaco Hospital — established private surgical hospital
• St John of God Mt Lawley Hospital — convenient for northern suburbs patients
• St John of God Midland Public and Private Hospitals — same-site public and private access

Patients from regional WA are welcomed. If you're referring from a rural practice and the patient needs assistance with travel or accommodation logistics, mention it in the referral letter and my rooms will help coordinate.