- 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 Kawana 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 Kawana.
Where you are seen.
Kawana patients are seen at the Maroochydore rooms, on Level 9 of Maroochy Private Hospital on Future Way, about twenty five minutes north on the Sunshine Motorway.
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 Birtinya, Buddina, Warana, Wurtulla and Bokarina are seen at Maroochydore as well.
Where the operation happens.
The rooms are inside the hospital Professor Rodda operates at, so consultation, imaging, pre-admission, surgery and every review happen on the one Maroochydore campus. For a Kawana address that means one drive that you make a handful of times, to the same car park each time, rather than appointments scattered across the coast.
Getting there and getting home.
The drive north is the one piece of planning worth doing. It is a predictable run outside peak, but the morning of surgery is early and whoever drives you should treat it as a morning rather than a quick trip. Discharge is the harder direction, one to three days after a major operation, so a car with a reclining seat is worth more than a fast one.
It is also worth attending the pre-admission clinic properly rather than shortcutting it because of the drive. That appointment is where anaemia, blood sugar, blood pressure and medications get sorted out before surgery, and it is the one patients most often skip when travel is involved.
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 Kawana.
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.
Knee rehabilitation is the demanding part and Kawana is the easiest place in the catchment to do it. You will be at physiotherapy two or three times a week through the first six weeks, and the Kawana precinct has both physiotherapy and hydrotherapy within a few minutes. Hydrotherapy is particularly useful in the first six weeks after a knee replacement because it lets you work the joint without putting your full weight through it. The flat coastal path along the Kawana beaches is level ground for the walking side of it. Reviews are back at the Maroochydore rooms, in the same building 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 Kawana 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 Kawana?
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.
Is hydrotherapy available near Kawana?
Yes, within the Kawana precinct. It is particularly useful in the first six weeks after a knee replacement because it lets you work the joint without putting your full weight through it. It supplements supervised physiotherapy two or three times a week rather than replacing it.
How far are the rooms from Kawana?
The rooms are on Level 9 of Maroochy Private Hospital, 12 Future Way, Maroochydore, about twenty five minutes north of Kawana on the Sunshine Motorway. They are the only rooms Professor Rodda consults from.
Will my surgery be at the same hospital?
Yes. Professor Rodda consults and operates at Maroochy Private at Maroochydore, so it is the same building either way.
Nearby areas.
The same rooms serve Birtinya, Buddina, Warana, Wurtulla and Bokarina. See also hip and knee surgeon Kawana 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.