Orthopaedics

Our orthopaedic teams treat bone, joint and muscle problems for adults and children across the UAE. Surgery is only part of the work: much of orthopaedic care is careful diagnosis, physiotherapy and getting you moving again without an operation, with hospital teams ready when an operation is the right answer.

What is orthopaedics?

Orthopaedics looks after the musculoskeletal system, the body's frame of bones and joints. It also covers the muscles, ligaments and tendons that move them. Orthopaedic doctors handle injuries such as fractures, as well as long-term problems such as arthritis. They treat many without surgery, and operate only when needed. Rheumatologists treat joint disease with medicines rather than surgery. Physiotherapists lead the hands-on rehabilitation that restores movement. Much of the work is follow-up, helping you rebuild strength and confidence after treatment.

Areas within orthopaedics

Foot surgery: The feet and ankles pack a lot of small bones into a tight space, which makes injuries here fiddly to repair.

Hand surgery: The hand and wrist are built for fine, precise work, and injury or arthritis here is treated with great care.

Hip and knee surgery: Arthritis and injury wear these large joints down, and surgery can repair or replace them.

Orthotics and prosthetics: Braces, splints, insoles and artificial limbs are made and fitted here. This is allied-health, non-surgical care, focused on the fitting and rehabilitation that keep you moving.

Paediatric orthopaedics: Growing bones and joints behave differently from an adult's, and conditions such as clubfoot or a curved spine call for care shaped around children.

Shoulder surgery: The shoulder is the body's most mobile joint, which is why a torn rotator cuff or ongoing instability often brings people here.

Spine surgery: Problems in the back or neck, such as a slipped disc, are assessed here and operated on only when the symptoms call for it.

Sports injuries: From a torn ligament to worn cartilage or an overused tendon, these sport-related injuries are diagnosed and repaired to get you moving again.

When should you see an orthopaedic doctor?

Book an appointment if you notice:

• Bone or joint pain that keeps coming back
• Swelling or stiffness that limits everyday tasks
• A fracture or injury that is slow to mend
• Numbness or tingling in a hand or arm
• A joint that keeps giving way or locking
• Pain that wakes you at night

Sudden weakness in both legs with a loss of bladder or bowel control is a medical emergency: seek emergency care straight away.

You don't need to wait for severe pain before getting help. A check-up makes sense if you're recovering from a sports injury, living with arthritis, or worried about bone strength after the menopause. In the UAE you can often book an orthopaedic appointment directly, though some insurers ask for a referral from your family doctor first.

What to expect

At your first visit, the doctor asks about your pain, your injury or your daily activities, then examines how the joint moves. An X-ray is often the first test, showing the bones and any fracture clearly. If the problem involves soft tissue, such as a ligament or the spine, an MRI scan gives a more detailed picture.

Most orthopaedic problems improve without surgery. Your doctor may suggest physiotherapy, a brace or an injection to ease the pain. When a joint is badly worn or a bone won't mend, surgery such as a joint replacement may help. Your doctor talks you through what each choice involves and agrees the next step with you.

Orthopaedics at Mediclinic

We provide orthopaedic care across our hospitals and clinics in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Al Ain. Our surgeons replace worn hip and knee joints. Keyhole operations repair many sports injuries without a large incision. Some knee replacements use robot-assisted guidance. Two of our Dubai hospitals run dedicated clinics. One focuses on joint preservation and on the foot and ankle; the other runs a spine clinic. An enhanced-recovery programme helps you get back on your feet after a joint operation, so you're moving again sooner. We also care for children's growing bones, from fractures to conditions present at birth. We bring together orthopaedic surgeons, physiotherapists and orthotists around your care, so treatment and recovery are planned together. When you break a bone, our emergency departments take trauma referrals. At our Airport Road hospital in Abu Dhabi, you don't need an appointment to be seen.