Osseointegration in Australia and New Zealand

Pre-surgical assessment helps us to identify your specific needs and tailor our care to meet them.

It gives you the opportunity to meet with our physiotherapy, psychology, surgical and pain management specialists, and allows them the opportunity to fully assess your current health status.

It also allows us to recognise any additional actions that may be necessary before, or during, your care and identify and mitigate any risks that might be associated with your treatment plan.

Alongside your pre-surgical assessment, the OG Team will examine your historical and current imaging, size and build your implant, optimise your soft tissue management plan (including any nerve work or neuroma removal), and plan your surgery using specialist surgical software.

Notwithstanding complex cases, which can require multiple additional surgical steps, the osseointegration procedure can normally be completed in around 2-4 hours. The procedure itself can be performed using an epidural and/or other nerve blocks where required, although it is typically carried out under general anaesthetic.

It involves the preparation of your bone and the insertion of your intramedullary implant. The surgical team will modify your soft tissue to give you the best functional and cosmetic outcome, as well as preparing a hole through which the end of the implant can connect to your prosthesis, known as a stoma.

You will stay at the hospital as an in-patient for several days so that staff can closely monitor your immediate post-operative recovery.

Once you are able to mobilise, and any pain is well-controlled, you will be discharged and begin your rehabilitation as an outpatient.  

Your osseointegration rehabilitation is a three-step process which may be completed according to a ‘fast-loading’ or ‘slow-loading’ protocol depending on your individual health factors.

Rehabilitation will involve learning how to complete basic moves, including standing, as well as gait training and exercise. You’ll also start to load your implant with weight, aiming eventually for a force equivalent to 50kg or 50% of your bodyweight.

Each subsequent stage of rehabilitation aims to increase your walking proficiency (including using stairs or moving across uneven ground), strengthen your muscles and secure your body’s connection to the implant.

Most osseointegration patients will be able to walk unaided around 4 months after surgery. However, with ongoing work, you will be able to further improve your gait and balance over time.

Many of our patients have previously been fitted with socket prosthetics. Existing prosthetics can be adapted to ensure their compatibility with your osseointegrated implant. Patients may also exchange their prosthetics, or parts thereof, or undergo fitting for new components for us in special circumstances (e.g., sports, swimming).

It is important to optimise the condition and alignment of your prosthetic as you work to regain your mobility.

Patients sometimes wish to complete their rehabilitation at home. Where this is the case, we will work with clinicians and rehabilitation specialists in your own country to ensure that they are able to deliver on your specific rehabilitation goals.

We will continue to monitor your recovery and complete regular remote follow-up consultations to ensure that we can adapt to any changes.

Once home, you will also be required to visit your local prosthetist for regular hardware assessment and component replacement, as necessary.