- 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 Gympie 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 Gympie.
Where you are seen.
Gympie patients are seen at the Maroochydore rooms, on Level 9 of Maroochy Private Hospital on Future Way. It is a little over an hour south, down the Bruce Highway and across through Cooroy.
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 Cooroy, Pomona, Tin Can Bay, Rainbow Beach and Kilkivan are seen at Maroochydore as well.
Where the operation happens.
Gympie patients travel the furthest of anyone in the catchment. The rooms and the operating hospital are the same building on the coast: consultations and surgery both at Maroochy Private, Maroochydore. This is worth being direct about, because a joint replacement is not one trip. It is a consultation, a pre-admission appointment, the admission itself, and four reviews across the following year. Telehealth and grouped appointments are used to keep the number of drives down.
Getting there and getting home.
The practice works around that in three ways, and it is worth asking for all of them. Telehealth is available for the first consultation where the drive is difficult, and for most of the follow-up reviews once you are recovering normally. Appointments are grouped so that a single trip covers the consultation and the imaging rather than two trips. And the pre-admission assessment can often be arranged through your own GP in Gympie rather than on the coast.
What cannot be done remotely is the physical examination before the decision to operate, the operation, and the first wound review. Plan for at least two trips down before surgery and one after it. If you live alone, or the person driving you cannot commit to a full day twice, say so at the pre-admission appointment. Discharge planning changes a great deal when the drive home is long, and it is far easier to arrange in advance than on the ward.
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 Gympie.
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.
This is the paragraph that matters most for a Gympie patient. Knee rehabilitation means supervised physiotherapy two or three times a week for the first six weeks. Driving to the coast for that is not sustainable for anyone, and the people who try it stop going, which shows up in the range of movement at three months. Rehabilitation has to happen in Gympie. Choose a practice before your surgery date rather than after it, tell the rooms who it is, and the written protocol goes to them directly along with the operation record to your GP. Gympie is hilly and the flat walking is down on the river flats, which is where the early distance work is easiest. Later reviews can often be done by telehealth with imaging arranged locally.
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 Gympie 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 Gympie?
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 physiotherapy in Gympie rather than on the coast?
You should. Knee rehabilitation is two or three supervised sessions a week for the first six weeks and driving to the coast for it is not sustainable. Choose a Gympie practice before your surgery date, tell the rooms who it is, and the written protocol is sent to them directly.
Do I have to drive to the coast for every appointment?
No. Telehealth is available for the first consultation where travel is difficult and for most follow-up reviews. The physical examination before surgery, the operation itself and the first wound review need to be in person. Appointments are grouped where possible so one trip covers more than one thing.
Can my physiotherapy and follow-up be done in Gympie?
Physiotherapy should be done in Gympie. The rooms send the written rehabilitation protocol to whichever practice you choose, and your physiotherapist can request it directly. Later reviews can often be done by telehealth with imaging arranged locally.
Nearby areas.
The same rooms serve Cooroy, Pomona, Tin Can Bay, Rainbow Beach and Kilkivan. See also hip and knee surgeon Gympie 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.