- Nearest rooms
- Maroochydore
- Operating hospital
- Maroochy Private Hospital
- Hospital stay
- 1 to 3 nights
- Walking
- Day of surgery, with aids
- Driving
- About 4 to 6 weeks
- Referral
- GP or nurse practitioner
Total knee replacement for Caloundra patients.
A total knee replacement resurfaces the worn ends of the thigh bone and shin bone, and usually the back of the kneecap, with metal and a high-grade plastic bearing. It is an operation for established arthritis that is limiting daily life, once non-operative treatment has been tried and has stopped working.
Professor Rodda plans knee replacement with robotic assistance and most often performs it through the subvastus, quadriceps-sparing approach, which works underneath the quadriceps rather than cutting through the tendon. The full account of the operation, the implant, the evidence and the risks is on the total knee replacement page. This page is about what it looks like from Caloundra.
Where you are seen.
Caloundra patients are seen at the Maroochydore rooms, on Level 9 of Maroochy Private Hospital on Future Way. It is a straight run north on the Sunshine Motorway, and the rooms are inside the hospital, so parking is on site rather than on a CBD street.
These are the only rooms Professor Rodda consults from, so every appointment is at the same address and booked on the same number. If travel is difficult, say so when the rooms call: telehealth is available for the first consultation and appointments are grouped where they can be. Patients from Golden Beach, Currimundi, Aroona, Little Mountain and Birtinya are seen at Maroochydore as well.
Where the operation happens.
For most Caloundra patients the consultation, the imaging and the operation all happen on the one Maroochydore campus, because the rooms are inside the hospital Professor Rodda operates at. That is unusual and it is genuinely useful. You park in the same car park for your first appointment, your pre-admission clinic, your surgery and your six-week review, and by the day of surgery the building is familiar.
Getting there and getting home.
Caloundra sits at the southern end of the catchment, and the Sunshine Motorway north is the one road that matters. It is a predictable run outside peak, and the hospital's own car park means you are not circling a CBD block at half past five in the morning.
Patients coming from Pelican Waters, Golden Beach and Moffat Beach are on the same route. Patients from Beerwah, Landsborough and the hinterland behind Caloundra join the motorway further north, which avoids the coast road entirely.
Worth counting the trips before you commit to a date. A knee replacement is a consultation, a pre-admission appointment, the admission itself, four reviews across the following year, and somewhere between twelve and eighteen physiotherapy sessions in the first six weeks. The physiotherapy is the number that dominates, and it is the one that should be local.
Recovering in Caloundra.
Knee replacement is the more demanding of the two operations to recover from, and the difference between a good result and a disappointing one is more often rehabilitation than surgery. Full extension is the priority in the first two weeks. Weeks two to six are the window that decides the outcome. Swelling and warmth settle slowly and improvement continues well past six months.
Rehabilitation happens in Caloundra, not at the hospital. Expect supervised physiotherapy two or three times a week through the first six weeks, which is the window that decides the outcome, plus daily work at home. Hydrotherapy is worth asking about in that period because it lets you load the knee without carrying your whole weight through it. Caloundra also has the best flat walking in the catchment for the early weeks, along the Golden Beach and Bulcock Beach foreshore, which is level, close to parking and easy to turn back from. The rooms send the written protocol to whichever practice you choose, and reviews are back at Maroochydore on the same campus as the surgery.
You are reviewed at about two weeks for the wound, then at six weeks, three months and twelve months. Written rehabilitation protocols are provided and your physiotherapist can request them directly through the referrer page.
Who this operation is for.
Not everyone with knee pain needs a replacement, and a good deal of the work of this practice is establishing who does. Pain that is worst at night over the outer knee, pain that does not match the X-ray, and pain in one compartment only all lead somewhere other than a total knee replacement. The knee pain guide and what to try before surgery set out that assessment.
Fees and cover.
Where you live does not change the fee. You receive written informed financial consent covering the surgeon, the assistant, the anaesthetist and the hospital before anything is booked. See fees, no-gap cover and, if the injury is work or motor vehicle related, WorkCover and CTP.
Frequently asked questions.
Where does Professor Rodda see Caloundra patients for knee replacement?
At the Maroochydore rooms, Maroochy Private Hospital, Level 9, 12 Future Way, Maroochydore QLD 4558. Appointments are booked on (07) 5493 8038, Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 4.30pm.
Do I need a referral for a knee replacement consultation?
No, not immediately. If you have a GP referral it comes straight to the rooms and the rooms contact you within two business days. If you do not, you can start with a telehealth consultation with a GP or with our nurse practitioner, who can provide the referral. A referral is still needed to claim the Medicare rebate on the consultation.
How much does a knee replacement cost from Caloundra?
The same as from anywhere else in the catchment. Location does not change the fee. You receive a written estimate covering the surgeon, the surgical assistant, the anaesthetist and the hospital before anything is booked, and Professor Rodda participates in no-gap arrangements with several health funds.
Can I do my knee rehabilitation in Caloundra?
Yes, and you should. Two or three supervised physiotherapy sessions a week for the first six weeks is typical and it needs to be somewhere you will actually go. Hydrotherapy is worth asking about in that period. The rooms send the written protocol to whichever Caloundra practice you choose.
How far is it from Caloundra?
About forty minutes to the Maroochydore rooms on the Sunshine Motorway outside peak. Consultations, surgery and follow-up reviews are all at the same Maroochydore campus, so it is the same trip each time.
Are there rooms closer to Caloundra?
Not at present. Professor Rodda consults from the Maroochydore rooms only. Where the drive is difficult, telehealth is available for the first consultation, and appointments are grouped so the trip is made once.
Nearby areas.
The same rooms serve Golden Beach, Currimundi, Aroona, Little Mountain and Birtinya. See also hip and knee surgeon Caloundra and all locations.
Written and reviewed by Professor Daevyd Rodda, MBBS, Dip. Surg Anat, FRACS, FAOrthA. Last reviewed August 2026.
This page provides general information about a medical condition and a surgical procedure. It is not individual medical advice and does not replace consultation with a qualified practitioner. Outcomes vary between individuals and all surgery carries risk. A referral is needed for a consultation with Professor Daevyd Rodda; without one, you can start with the practice nurse practitioner, who can provide it.