Orthopaedic FAQs | Paediatric and Upper Limb Surgery

Persistent limping should always be assessed. Causes can include hip disorders, foot deformities, infections, or subtle injuries that may require specialist care.

Moreton Bay Orthopaedic Practice provides specialist care across Moreton Bay and the Sunshine Coast, reducing the need for patients to travel to Brisbane. Clinics are held at:

• Sunshine Coast University Private Hospital (Suite 1) – weekly
• Caboolture Medical Hub – monthly
• Kippa-Ring Practice – regularly

This allows families and patients to access high-quality orthopaedic care closer to home.

A GP referral is typically required for specialist orthopaedic consultations. This ensures appropriate assessment, communication, and access to Medicare rebates where applicable.

If your child has a fracture, persistent pain, limping, joint instability, or a known orthopaedic condition, early specialist assessment is important. Children’s bones heal differently to adults, and growth plates need careful monitoring.

Yes. Children’s bones can heal up to twice as fast as adult bones. However, because growth plates are still developing, early assessment is essential to ensure injuries heal correctly.

Growth plates are areas of developing bone in children and adolescents. Injuries to these areas may not always be obvious on initial assessment but can affect future bone growth if not managed properly.

Paediatric orthopaedic care includes fractures, hip disorders (such as hip dysplasia, Perthes disease, and SCFE), limb alignment issues, leg length differences, clubfoot, joint laxity, cerebral palsy, and neuromuscular conditions.

Hip dysplasia occurs when the hip joint does not develop properly. When detected early, it is one of the most treatable childhood orthopaedic conditions, often preventing long-term pain and arthritis.

Slipped Capital Femoral Epiphysis (SCFE) is a hip condition that typically occurs during growth spurts. Early diagnosis and treatment help prevent long-term mobility issues and joint damage.

Yes. Many leg length differences can be monitored, guided, or corrected using growth-modifying or minimally invasive techniques, depending on the child’s age and the severity of the difference.

Most cases of clubfoot respond very well to modern correction techniques. Early treatment helps children achieve strong, stable, and pain-free feet.

Adult services include treatment for upper limb fractures, shoulder, elbow, and wrist arthritis, joint replacements, arthroscopy, tendon transfers, nerve decompression, and elbow stabilisation procedures.

Endoscopic carpal tunnel release is a minimally invasive procedure that can offer smaller incisions, quicker recovery, and earlier return to daily activities compared to traditional open surgery.

Tendon transfers involve re-routing a functioning muscle or tendon to restore movement when nerves or muscles are damaged. They are commonly used for hand and upper limb conditions.

Yes. An upper limb and hand surgeon treats conditions affecting the shoulder, elbow, forearm, wrist, and hand. This includes fractures, arthritis, tendon and ligament injuries, nerve compression (such as carpal tunnel syndrome), and small joint conditions of the hand.

No. Joint replacement surgery is also available for the shoulder, elbow, wrist, and small joints of the hand, helping reduce pain and restore function.

Yes. Moreton Bay Orthopaedic Practice is a WorkCover orthopaedic surgeon service, providing assessment and treatment for workplace injuries. We see WorkCover patients referred by GPs, employers, and insurers, and manage care in line with WorkCover requirements and reporting standards.