INFORMATION FOR YOUR UPCOMING APPOINTMENT

WHAT TO BRING
Please bring the referral letter from your General Practitioner, any other relevant letters, test results, and scans/XRays. If you have hard copies of your imaging, please bring those. Finally, don’t forget to bring your Medicare card, and if you have private health insurance, please bring details of that, too.

HOW LONG WILL THIS TAKE
It takes about 30 minutes for an initial consult, and 15 minutes for a follow-up or review consultation.
Please be prepared to allocate more time, just in case you need any further assessments, investigations, tests or therapy.

HOW MUCH WILL IT COST
It costs $300 for the initial consultation, and $180 for follow-up or review consultation. We accept EFTPOS and credit card. You may be eligible for a rebate, so please ask us for further information when you book your appointment.

WHERE TO GO
We are located in Suite 401, Level 4, 13A Montgomery Street, Kogarah.
Take the lifts up to level 4, and turn right. We are at the end of the corridor.

PARKING
Paid parking within walking distance from our rooms is available at a few locations: Kogarah Town Centre, Georges River Council carpark at 2 Derby Street, St George Public Hospital parking at the multi-storey carpark on the corner of Belgrave and South Streets, and the TAFE Kogarah carpark on Wicks Lane. St George Private Hospital also offers paid parking in two locations: Hogben Street, and under the Private Hospital. 

WHAT IF I WANT TO CHANGE/CANCEL MY APPOINTMENT?
Call 1300 026637 (1300 0BONES) or email reception@kineticorthopaedics.com. These contact details are active during office hours only, so if you wish to change or cancel an appointment on Monday, please bear this in mind and plan appropriately.
Please note there is a cancellation fee of 50% if you cancel within 1 working day of your appointment.

MEDICAL EDUCATION: PHOTOGRAPHS AND VIDEOS
Dr Yong is involved in teaching and education. You will be asked if you consent to having clinical photographs and/or videos taken, which may be used for educational purposes. All patient identifiers, such as your name, date of birth and medical record number, will be removed from these images so as to protect your privacy. Your privacy matters to us. If you do not agree to have these images used for teaching purposes, please let us know.

IF YOU NEED AN OPERATION

Dr Yong will discuss this with you, and try to work out the best available timing for this to happen. Several people need to be involved with making your operation happen, including the hospital managers, and the operating team (anaesthetists, nursing staff, surgical assistants). Sometimes, we also need to order in special equipment. Please bear with us while we organise your surgery. We will endeavour to keep you updated and in-the-loop at all times.

WHAT TO BRING TO YOUR OPERATION
It is very important that you bring all letters, and any imaging (XRays, scans) that you have had done to your operation. Not having these things with you can delay or even cause your operation to be deferred to another day. Sometimes you will have to wait a while before your operation, so we advise that you bring a good book, a charger for your smartphone, or a great friend/family member.

WHAT TO EXPECT AFTER HAVING A HAND/WRIST OPERATION
You can expect there will be pain, and swelling, and bruising. Your hand will be in a bulky dressing, and/or a cast. You may need to stay overnight for antibiotics, and also to monitor your pain levels before you go home. There will be an appointment to check your wound and see how you are going with the hand therapists, and after that, with either your GP or your hand surgeon.

DRESSING/PLASTER CARE
Your dressings and/or plaster was put on in a very clean environment, and needs to be looked after till they are changed or removed. Keep your dressings clean, dry and intact. A useful tip for showering is to wrap a clean plastic bag over your hand, and then tape it up around the forearm to minimise leakage. Please do not change the dressings yourself unless instructed to do so.

ELEVATION
Following your hand/wrist operation, you can expect there to be pain and swelling. The best way to manage this is to take the pain medication that has been prescribed to you, as well as to keep your hand elevated well above heart level. When sleeping at night, it may help to rest your hand on a pillow, so that it stays elevated.

LIFTING/CARRYING/SPORT
Generally, we recommend that you lift no more than 2kg (or a cup of coffee/tea) with your operated hand, at least till you are seen again for a wound check. Please do not engage in contact sport till you are cleared to do so.

DRIVING
You should not be driving while your hand is in a bulky dressing or cast. Please check when you are allowed to drive with your doctor at the follow-up appointment.

WOUND CARE
Initially, it is best to keep your wound clean and dry, and the dressings intact. After about 2 weeks, you can start applying silicone to the wound once a day. You can purchase this from your chemist (it is sometimes sold as Scar Therapy Gel, or in tape form). After about 3 weeks, you can start adding vitamin E oil, to be applied after the silicone has been absorbed. This is about the time you start gentle scar massage, too. Keeping your wound out of the sun (whether by covering it, or by applying sunscreen) will also help your scar to mature nicely. It takes up to a year for scar to mature completely.

HAND THERAPY
We will arrange an appointment for you to see a specialised hand therapist, usually right after your first post-operative appointment with Dr Yong. They usually help manage your wound (dressings and stitches), and any necessary splints or casts. They have protocols in place to get you back to your functional best and work closely with Dr Yong in tailoring your therapy to you.