Everything we cover, grouped by body part and then by the problem itself. Under each group: the conditions people are diagnosed with, the operations surgeons perform for them, and the injections commonly offered first.
We use the words patients use, with the medical term in brackets. If your surgeon wrote something you can’t find here, look under the body part rather than the exact word. Linked items have a full guide.
Before and after any surgery
- Questions to ask your surgeon before orthopedic surgery
- Blood clot after surgery: the warning signs
- Weight bearing after surgery explained: non-weight bearing, partial, as tolerated
- When to stop using crutches
- Driving after surgery and going back to work
- Flying after knee or hip replacement
- Constipation after surgery
- Scar care after surgery
- Balance exercises to prevent falls
Shoulder
Hurts most in bed? See shoulder pain at night.
Rotator cuff
- Rotator cuff tear, partial thickness and full thickness
- Rotator cuff tendinopathy, and the rotator cuff strengthening program
- Shoulder impingement (subacromial pain syndrome), and the 12-week exercise program
- Subacromial bursitis
- Cuff tear arthropathy
Surgery: rotator cuff repair (arthroscopic or open), subacromial decompression, reverse shoulder replacement for cuff tear arthropathy. Deciding: is rotator cuff surgery worth it? After cuff repair: exercises after rotator cuff surgery, sleeping after rotator cuff surgery and swimming after rotator cuff surgery. Getting ready: how to prepare for shoulder surgery.
Injections: cortisone, PRP.
Frozen shoulder
- Frozen shoulder (adhesive capsulitis), including frozen shoulder and diabetes and frozen shoulder exercises
- Secondary stiffness after injury or surgery, including stiff shoulder after a broken arm
Procedures: hydrodilatation, manipulation under anesthesia, arthroscopic capsular release.
Injections: cortisone, hydrodilatation.
Instability and labral tears
- Shoulder dislocation, including dislocation over 40 and the sling afterward
- Recurrent shoulder instability
- Labral tear, including SLAP tear and Bankart lesion
Surgery: Bankart repair and Latarjet procedure, SLAP repair, capsular plication. After surgery: Bankart and Latarjet recovery.
Shoulder arthritis
- Glenohumeral osteoarthritis
- Rheumatoid arthritis of the shoulder
- AC joint osteoarthritis
Surgery: total shoulder replacement, reverse shoulder replacement, distal clavicle excision. Deciding: when is it time for a shoulder replacement? Afterward: golf after shoulder replacement.
Injections: cortisone, hyaluronic acid.
Fractures
- Collarbone fracture (clavicle fracture)
- Broken shoulder (proximal humerus fracture)
- Scapula fracture (broken shoulder blade)
Surgery: clavicle plating (ORIF), proximal humerus fixation, shoulder hemiarthroplasty.
AC joint
- AC joint sprain
- AC joint separation (shoulder separation)
Surgery: AC joint reconstruction.
Biceps and calcific problems
- Biceps tendinopathy
- Long head of biceps tear
- Calcific tendinitis
Procedures: biceps tenodesis, biceps tenotomy, barbotage (needling) for calcific tendinitis.
Neck and back (spine)
Weighing up an operation? Start with do I need back surgery? Exercise programs: lower back pain, sciatica, neck pain, spinal stenosis and after back surgery.
Disc problems
- Slipped disc (herniated, prolapsed or bulging disc)
- Sciatica
- Degenerative disc disease
- Annular tear
Surgery: microdiscectomy, endoscopic discectomy, disc replacement.
Injections: epidural steroid injection, nerve root block.
Nerve compression and stenosis
- Spinal stenosis
- Neurogenic claudication (leg pain on walking)
- Pinched nerve in the neck (cervical radiculopathy)
- Cervical myelopathy
Surgery: laminectomy and spinal decompression, ACDF (neck fusion), cervical disc replacement.
Injections: epidural steroid injection, selective nerve root block.
Instability and slippage
- Spondylolisthesis
- Spondylolysis (pars stress fracture)
- Segmental instability
Surgery: spinal fusion (TLIF, PLIF, ALIF).
Facet joint and back pain
Injections and procedures: facet joint injection, medial branch block, radiofrequency ablation, sacroiliac joint injection.
Spinal fractures
- Compression fracture (osteoporotic vertebral fracture)
- Burst fracture
Surgery: kyphoplasty, vertebroplasty, spinal fixation.
Deformity
- Scoliosis, including adult degenerative scoliosis
- Kyphosis
Surgery: scoliosis correction and fusion.
Hip
Hip arthritis
- Hip osteoarthritis, and hip arthritis exercises
- Rheumatoid and inflammatory arthritis of the hip
Surgery: total hip replacement (including the anterior approach), hip resurfacing, revision hip replacement. Deciding: when is it time for a hip replacement? Getting ready: how to prepare for hip replacement. Afterward: exercises, precautions, sleeping, sitting, showering, stairs and sex after hip replacement, plus cycling, golf and tennis and pickleball.
Injections: cortisone, hyaluronic acid.
Impingement and labral tears
- Hip impingement (FAI, femoroacetabular impingement)
- Hip labral tear
- Hip dysplasia
Surgery: hip arthroscopy with labral repair, osteochondroplasty, periacetabular osteotomy for dysplasia.
Fractures
- Broken hip (neck of femur fracture)
- Intertrochanteric fracture
- Pelvic fracture
Surgery: hip hemiarthroplasty, dynamic hip screw, cannulated screw fixation, total hip replacement.
Outer hip and tendon pain
- Gluteal tendinopathy
- Trochanteric bursitis (outer hip pain)
- Snapping hip
Injections: cortisone, PRP.
Bone and muscle
- Avascular necrosis of the hip
- Groin strain and adductor strain
- Hip flexor strain
- Hamstring tendon tear at the hip
Surgery: core decompression, hamstring tendon repair, total hip replacement for advanced avascular necrosis.
Knee
Knee arthritis
- Knee osteoarthritis, and knee arthritis exercises
- Rheumatoid and inflammatory arthritis of the knee
Surgery: total knee replacement, partial (unicompartmental) knee replacement, robotic-assisted knee replacement, high tibial osteotomy, revision knee replacement. Deciding: when is it time for a knee replacement? Getting ready: how to prepare for knee replacement. Afterward: exercises, swelling, stiffness, sleeping, walking, stairs, kneeling, showering and sex after knee replacement, plus cycling, running and tennis and pickleball.
Injections: cortisone, hyaluronic acid, PRP, genicular nerve block and ablation.
Ligament injuries
- ACL tear
- PCL injury
- MCL injury
- LCL and posterolateral corner injury
- Multi-ligament knee injury
Surgery: ACL reconstruction (see also ACL graft types and return to sport after ACL surgery), PCL reconstruction, ligament repair and augmentation.
Meniscus and cartilage
- Meniscus tear, and meniscus tear exercises
- Degenerative meniscus tear
- Cartilage damage and chondral defects
- Osteochondritis dissecans
Surgery: meniscus repair, partial meniscectomy, knee arthroscopy, microfracture, cell-based cartilage repair, osteochondral grafting.
Kneecap problems
- Kneecap dislocation (patellar dislocation)
- Patellar instability
- Runner’s knee (patellofemoral pain syndrome)
- Jumper’s knee (patellar tendinopathy)
- Chondromalacia patellae
Surgery: MPFL reconstruction, tibial tubercle transfer, lateral release.
Fractures and tendon ruptures
- Tibial plateau fracture
- Patella (kneecap) fracture
- Quadriceps tendon rupture
- Patellar tendon rupture
Surgery: fracture fixation (ORIF), tendon repair.
Swelling and other
Foot and ankle
Ankle sprains and instability
- Ankle sprain, and ankle sprain exercises
- Chronic ankle instability
- High ankle sprain (syndesmosis injury)
Surgery: Brostrom ligament reconstruction, syndesmosis fixation.
Achilles tendon
- Achilles tendon rupture
- Achilles tendinopathy (mid-portion and insertional)
- Retrocalcaneal bursitis and Haglund’s deformity
Surgery: Achilles tendon repair, debridement, tendon transfer.
Injections: PRP. Cortisone is generally avoided around the Achilles.
Fractures
- Broken ankle (ankle fracture), and exercises after a broken ankle
- Lisfranc injury
- Metatarsal fracture, including the Jones fracture
- Stress fracture of the foot
- Calcaneus (heel bone) fracture
Surgery: ankle fracture fixation (ORIF), Lisfranc fixation or fusion.
Heel pain
- Plantar fasciitis
- Heel spur
- Fat pad atrophy
Procedures: plantar fascia release, shockwave therapy.
Injections: cortisone, PRP.
Big toe
- Bunion (hallux valgus)
- Stiff big toe (hallux rigidus)
- Turf toe
Surgery: bunion surgery (osteotomy, Lapidus), cheilectomy, big toe fusion. Deciding: is bunion surgery worth it? After bunion surgery: swelling after bunion surgery.
Flat foot and forefoot
- Flat foot and posterior tibial tendon dysfunction
- Morton’s neuroma
- Hammer toe and claw toe
- Metatarsalgia (ball of foot pain)
Surgery: flat foot reconstruction, tendon transfer, Morton’s neuroma excision, toe correction.
Ankle arthritis
- Ankle osteoarthritis
- Post-traumatic ankle arthritis
Surgery: ankle arthroscopy, ankle fusion, total ankle replacement.
Injections: a quick reference
Many people are offered an injection before surgery is discussed. What each one does, and what you should do in the weeks afterward, differs a great deal.
- Cortisone (steroid) injection: shoulder, hip, knee, spine, foot. See cortisone shot side effects, how long a cortisone shot lasts and cortisone shot in the knee
- PRP (platelet-rich plasma): tendons and joints. See PRP injection for the knee
- Hyaluronic acid (viscosupplementation): usually the knee. See gel injections for the knee
- Hydrodilatation: frozen shoulder
- Epidural steroid injection: back and neck. See epidural steroid injection
- Facet joint injection and medial branch block: spine. See facet joint pain
- Selective nerve root block: spine
- Radiofrequency ablation: spinal facet joints and the knee. See radiofrequency ablation
- Genicular nerve block and ablation: knee
- Prolotherapy: see prolotherapy
- Stem cell injection: see stem cell injections for joints
Hand, wrist and elbow
Carpal tunnel, trigger finger, tennis elbow, wrist fractures, tendon repairs and every other condition from the elbow to the fingertips are covered at our sister site, handpainnomore.com.
This site is for general education and is not medical advice. Follow your surgeon’s post-operative protocol, and ask your surgeon or physiotherapist about anything specific to your case.