If you’re exploring hip or knee care in Calgary, Alberta Hip and Knee Clinic offers a coordinated team of orthopedic surgeons, nurses, and rehabilitation specialists to assess surgical and non‑surgical options. You can expect a multidisciplinary approach focused on diagnosing your condition, outlining treatment choices, and guiding you through the referral and surgical journey when needed.
This article Alberta Hip and Knee Clinic Calgary will help you understand the clinic’s services, what to bring to an appointment, and how the referral process works so you can move forward with confidence. Expect practical details about access, what the care pathway looks like, and how to prepare for each step.
Services Offered at Alberta Hip and Knee Clinic Calgary
You can expect coordinated care that covers diagnosis, surgical options for hips and knees, and structured rehabilitation plans. The clinic emphasizes evidence-based assessment, joint replacement techniques, and staged recovery programs to restore function and reduce pain.
Diagnostic Assessments
The clinic conducts targeted clinical exams focused on gait, range of motion, joint stability, and pain provocation tests to identify the source of hip or knee symptoms. You will receive directed imaging such as weight-bearing X‑rays, MRI for soft-tissue evaluation, and CT when complex bony anatomy or preoperative templating is required.
Assessment often includes objective measures: validated pain and function scores (e.g., WOMAC or HOOS/KOOS), leg-length checks, and functional mobility tests like timed-up-and-go. A multidisciplinary review with physiotherapy and, when needed, rheumatology or pain specialists helps define surgical candidacy or conservative pathways.
Hip Replacement Procedures
Surgeons at the clinic perform total hip arthroplasty for end-stage osteoarthritis, avascular necrosis, and selected fracture cases. You will be evaluated for implant choice (ceramic, metal, or polyethylene bearings) and surgical approach—posterior, lateral, or anterior—based on your anatomy and surgeon expertise.
Preoperative planning includes templating on radiographs to restore leg length and offset. Intraoperative goals focus on stable fixation (cemented or cementless), proper component positioning to minimize dislocation risk, and soft-tissue handling to speed recovery. The team discusses expected blood-loss management, thromboprophylaxis, and realistic timelines for weight-bearing and return to activities.
Knee Replacement Procedures
The clinic offers partial and total knee arthroplasty for isolated compartment disease and tricompartmental arthritis, respectively. You will undergo assessment for alignment, ligament integrity, and deformity correction to determine whether unicompartmental, constrained, or posterior-stabilized implants are appropriate.
Surgical planning addresses component sizing and alignment strategies (mechanical or kinematic) with the aim of restoring joint line and maximizing implant longevity. Surgeons use perioperative protocols to reduce pain and swelling, including regional anesthesia and multimodal analgesia. Postoperative instructions specify early mobilization, weight-bearing status, and precautions to protect soft tissues and implants.
Post-Surgical Rehabilitation
Rehabilitation begins on the day of surgery or the first postoperative day with early mobilization to reduce complications and improve function. You will follow a progressive physiotherapy plan that targets pain control, swelling management, active range of motion, quadriceps and hip-strengthening, and gait training with appropriate assistive devices.
Rehab stages include inpatient mobilization, outpatient physiotherapy, and home exercise programs tailored to your goals: basic mobility, stair negotiation, or return to work/sport. The team monitors milestones—ROM targets, walking distance, and strength benchmarks—and adjusts interventions for stiffness, persistent pain, or wound concerns.
Patient Information and Referral Process
You will need a professional referral, appropriate imaging or reports, and basic medical history to access services. The clinic offers surgical and non-surgical care, and staff will guide you through scheduling, paperwork, and pre-op optimization as needed.
How to Book an Appointment
You cannot self-refer for specialist consultation; a referral from your family physician or another licensed health professional is required. Ask your provider to send the referral through the Alberta Referral Directory pathway or directly to the Alberta Hip and Knee Clinic fax/address listed in the provincial directory.
After the clinic receives your referral, you will get triage based on urgency and available surgeons. If accepted, reception will contact you by phone or mail to arrange the first appointment. For faster processing, ensure your referral includes recent X-ray reports and relevant medical history.
If you need to confirm fax numbers or clinic contact details, use the Alberta Referral Directory. Keep copies of imaging and EMR summaries to attach with the referral to avoid delays.
Medical Referral Requirements
Referrals should include:
- Patient demographics (full name, date of birth, AHN if available).
- Relevant medical history including comorbidities and current medications.
- Imaging reports: recent X-ray is required; MRI only if specifically indicated.
- Reason for referral and a concise problem description (symptom onset, severity, function limits).
Use the provincial adult orthopedic and spine referral pathway format when possible. Incomplete referrals may be returned or delayed, so double-check that X-ray reports and key clinical details are attached. If you have prior surgeon consultations or physiotherapy notes, include them to support triage decisions.
What to Expect During Visits
On your first clinic visit expect a focused orthopedic assessment by a clinician or surgeon. They will review your history, examine the affected joint, and review X-rays. The clinician will discuss non-surgical options (physiotherapy, injections, medications) and whether surgical assessment or booking is appropriate.
If surgery is considered, you will receive information about optimization steps: medical clearance, smoking cessation, diabetes control, and physiotherapy preparation. You may be given consent forms and pre-op instructions at a subsequent visit or via mailed/email package. Follow-up scheduling, referrals to allied health (physio, pain management), and expected wait-times will be communicated by clinic staff.