Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is the wait time for initial referral?
The wait time for your initial referral depends on many variables, including the information that our office has been provided, the amount of days of surgery that have been assigned to us by the Saskatoon Regional Health Board, and our patient case load. It is an ever-changing target. At present, we are typically able to see emergent referrals in hours or days, urgent referrals in six to eight weeks, and elective referrals anywhere from approximately three months to two years.
2. What is the wait time for surgery when booked?
Wait times for surgery vary depending upon the urgency of surgery, the type or surgery, as well as wait lists, and the availability of operating room time. At present, typical waiting times for emergent surgery are hours to days, semi-urgent surgery six to eight weeks, and elective surgery three to six months.
The phone numbers for the Saskatoon Surgical Waitlist Inquiry Line are:
Toll-Free: 1-866-543-6767
Local: 306-655-0567 .
You can contact a SDH surgical care co-ordinator at one of these numbers for
up-to-date information.
3. Why must I go specifically to SMI (Saskatoon Medical Imaging) for my x-ray or why do have to go for new ones?
At present, we use SMI because of the consistent quality of the imaging and the fact that that they have a variety of locations, they are able to provide the specific radiographic views that we request, the images are of consistent quality, and we can readily access the images through the internet. It is not essential that you use SMI, provided that you are aware of the specific images that we need, the location that you use is able to provide these images, and finally, and most importantly, that we can view the images. In some cases, images brought in on a CD or DVD are of acceptable quality, but this is not always the case. It is important to understand that written x-ray reports are of little or no use to us. We need to see the actual images.
4. What are my post-op instructions (for weight bearing, wound care, review visit etc.)
Post-op protocols vary depending upon your surgery. They are listed on this pdf
5. Will I need physiotherapy post surgery?
Physiotherapy is sometimes very helpful for the post-op interval, and sometimes even pre-operatively, but it is not always required. This is decided on a case-by-case basis. If you have any questions about whether it is required for you, please ask your treating physician.
6. Should I bring crutches to the hospital?
For most foot and ankle procedures, a period of non-weightbearing will be required after surgery. Therefore, crutches, a walker, or wheelchair will be needed to allow you to mobilize (usually for 6 -12 weeks). If you have crutches, please bring them to the hospital when you come for your surgery. If you do not have crutches, we recommend that you purchase or rent a pair and bring them with you on the day of your surgery. Crutches are available for sale or rent from various retailers. Among them are: Medichair Saskatoon, Saskatoon Abilities Council, Freedom Living Devices, and several pharmacies, including London Drugs and Werezak's Pharmacy. If you are able to purchase or rent them prior to your surgery, this has the added advantage that you can practice with them and be comfortable with their use prior to your surgery. If you are not able to obtain crutches prior to your surgery, they can be made available through the hospital for a reasonable fee.
7. Can I drive home after my surgery?
You cannot drive yourself home after surgery. You will need to have a family member or friend drive you. After surgery, you will be under the influence of medications that could alter your judgment and therefore it is unsafe for you and the general public if you drive yourself.
8. When will I be discharged home from the hospital?
Your hospital discharge time and date is dependent on several factors. In general, once your pain is controlled with pills, and you are safely mobilizing with crutches or a walker, you may be discharged home. For most foot and ankle surgeries, discharge time ranges from the same day as your surgery to 2-3 days following your surgery.
9. Can I change my dressing?
Your dressing should be left in place unless your surgeon has instructed you to change it yourself. Premature or improper changing of dressings can lead to increase risk of wound complications and infections. In most cases, your surgeon will be the first person to change your dressing.
10. Can I bath/shower following surgery?
For the first 2 weeks following surgery, your leg (splint) should remain dry. A wet foot can increase the risk of infection and wound complication. You may continue to bath /shower after surgery, but it is essential that you keep your foot dry by wrapping it in a well-sealed plastic bag or draping your foot out of the tub. Once your surgeon has changed your dressing for the first time (2 weeks), he will instruct you on how to proceed with cleaning the operated foot.
11. What about ice and elevation?
Both ice and elevation can be helpful in the postoperative period for swelling and pain control. As mentioned in the post op instructions, it is very important to elevate your foot ABOVE your heart as much as possible. Ice therapy can be in the form of ice packs or a cryocuff which can be rented.
12. Signs of infection, swelling, bruising, bleeding, drainage, etc.
It is common to have some bleeding postoperatively, which can be treated by reinforcing the dressing or changing it in the first few days. Supplies can be purchased from pharmacies. This is usually not required if a plaster splint has been applied. If excessive bleeding occurs please contact our office, your GP, or present to local ER.
Signs of infection include fever, increasing redness or drainage at the operative sites. This is not to be confused with the pink discolouration from the skin prep used prior to the operation. If you are worried about infection please contact our office during office hours so we can arrange urgent review.
13. When can I return to work?
Time to return to work is very variable. It depends upon the surgery that you have had, the progression of your healing, and whether or not you have had a surgical complication. Your surgeon can provide you with an estimated time of return to work based on average expected outcomes, but every surgical situation is different, and clearly, there are a great variety of types of employment.
Depending upon the type of work that you do, often a graduated program can be implemented that would start with part-time hours and progress to full-time hours over a few days or weeks, as tolerated. Your back-to work program can be decided upon by you and your employer. Sometimes the input of a physiotherapist or occupational therapist is helpful, particularly if your employer requires a detailed occupational assessment prior to your return to work. An official note from our office is rarely required. If you are unsure about your expected return to work, it is a good idea to discuss your proposed return to work date or program with your family physician and employer prior to your surgery.
14. When can I drive or fly?
You must to be able to weight bear fully and be out of the post op boot prior to driving. You must also have the ability to confidently move your foot from the accelerator to the brake. It is a good idea to test this safely in a parking lot prior to driving on the street. There should be no doubt in your or anyone?s mind that you are ready to drive. Your safety and that of others is of the utmost importance. Depending upon the type of surgery, it is not uncommon to be unable to drive for six to eight weeks post-op. If you have any questions about this, please ask your surgeon or family physician.
If you fly in the early post-operative period, you are at an increased risk of a blood clot. A blood clot can be at least quite troublesome, and at worst fatal. Since you will typically be unable to elevate your foot on a flight, you can also expect more swelling which can predispose you to a variety of complications including wound healing problems and infection. In general, we do not recommend flying for at least two weeks post-surgery.
15. What if I need another prescription for pain?
It is very unlikely that you will require a second prescription for post-operative pain control. You might not even need the first. However, it may happen that you pain is not sufficiently controlled, and if that is the case, please contact us so that we can recommend the appropriate course of action.
If our office is closed, we recommend that you contact your family physician, or go to a minor emergency clinic where the situation can be assessed and you can be looked after. Typically, prescription pain medication is not required for more than two or three days post-operatively. After that, often over-the-counter pain medication such as acetaminophen is sufficient to control discomfort.”
The wait time for your initial referral depends on many variables, including the information that our office has been provided, the amount of days of surgery that have been assigned to us by the Saskatoon Regional Health Board, and our patient case load. It is an ever-changing target. At present, we are typically able to see emergent referrals in hours or days, urgent referrals in six to eight weeks, and elective referrals anywhere from approximately three months to two years.
2. What is the wait time for surgery when booked?
Wait times for surgery vary depending upon the urgency of surgery, the type or surgery, as well as wait lists, and the availability of operating room time. At present, typical waiting times for emergent surgery are hours to days, semi-urgent surgery six to eight weeks, and elective surgery three to six months.
The phone numbers for the Saskatoon Surgical Waitlist Inquiry Line are:
Toll-Free: 1-866-543-6767
Local: 306-655-0567 .
You can contact a SDH surgical care co-ordinator at one of these numbers for
up-to-date information.
3. Why must I go specifically to SMI (Saskatoon Medical Imaging) for my x-ray or why do have to go for new ones?
At present, we use SMI because of the consistent quality of the imaging and the fact that that they have a variety of locations, they are able to provide the specific radiographic views that we request, the images are of consistent quality, and we can readily access the images through the internet. It is not essential that you use SMI, provided that you are aware of the specific images that we need, the location that you use is able to provide these images, and finally, and most importantly, that we can view the images. In some cases, images brought in on a CD or DVD are of acceptable quality, but this is not always the case. It is important to understand that written x-ray reports are of little or no use to us. We need to see the actual images.
4. What are my post-op instructions (for weight bearing, wound care, review visit etc.)
Post-op protocols vary depending upon your surgery. They are listed on this pdf
5. Will I need physiotherapy post surgery?
Physiotherapy is sometimes very helpful for the post-op interval, and sometimes even pre-operatively, but it is not always required. This is decided on a case-by-case basis. If you have any questions about whether it is required for you, please ask your treating physician.
6. Should I bring crutches to the hospital?
For most foot and ankle procedures, a period of non-weightbearing will be required after surgery. Therefore, crutches, a walker, or wheelchair will be needed to allow you to mobilize (usually for 6 -12 weeks). If you have crutches, please bring them to the hospital when you come for your surgery. If you do not have crutches, we recommend that you purchase or rent a pair and bring them with you on the day of your surgery. Crutches are available for sale or rent from various retailers. Among them are: Medichair Saskatoon, Saskatoon Abilities Council, Freedom Living Devices, and several pharmacies, including London Drugs and Werezak's Pharmacy. If you are able to purchase or rent them prior to your surgery, this has the added advantage that you can practice with them and be comfortable with their use prior to your surgery. If you are not able to obtain crutches prior to your surgery, they can be made available through the hospital for a reasonable fee.
7. Can I drive home after my surgery?
You cannot drive yourself home after surgery. You will need to have a family member or friend drive you. After surgery, you will be under the influence of medications that could alter your judgment and therefore it is unsafe for you and the general public if you drive yourself.
8. When will I be discharged home from the hospital?
Your hospital discharge time and date is dependent on several factors. In general, once your pain is controlled with pills, and you are safely mobilizing with crutches or a walker, you may be discharged home. For most foot and ankle surgeries, discharge time ranges from the same day as your surgery to 2-3 days following your surgery.
9. Can I change my dressing?
Your dressing should be left in place unless your surgeon has instructed you to change it yourself. Premature or improper changing of dressings can lead to increase risk of wound complications and infections. In most cases, your surgeon will be the first person to change your dressing.
10. Can I bath/shower following surgery?
For the first 2 weeks following surgery, your leg (splint) should remain dry. A wet foot can increase the risk of infection and wound complication. You may continue to bath /shower after surgery, but it is essential that you keep your foot dry by wrapping it in a well-sealed plastic bag or draping your foot out of the tub. Once your surgeon has changed your dressing for the first time (2 weeks), he will instruct you on how to proceed with cleaning the operated foot.
11. What about ice and elevation?
Both ice and elevation can be helpful in the postoperative period for swelling and pain control. As mentioned in the post op instructions, it is very important to elevate your foot ABOVE your heart as much as possible. Ice therapy can be in the form of ice packs or a cryocuff which can be rented.
12. Signs of infection, swelling, bruising, bleeding, drainage, etc.
It is common to have some bleeding postoperatively, which can be treated by reinforcing the dressing or changing it in the first few days. Supplies can be purchased from pharmacies. This is usually not required if a plaster splint has been applied. If excessive bleeding occurs please contact our office, your GP, or present to local ER.
Signs of infection include fever, increasing redness or drainage at the operative sites. This is not to be confused with the pink discolouration from the skin prep used prior to the operation. If you are worried about infection please contact our office during office hours so we can arrange urgent review.
13. When can I return to work?
Time to return to work is very variable. It depends upon the surgery that you have had, the progression of your healing, and whether or not you have had a surgical complication. Your surgeon can provide you with an estimated time of return to work based on average expected outcomes, but every surgical situation is different, and clearly, there are a great variety of types of employment.
Depending upon the type of work that you do, often a graduated program can be implemented that would start with part-time hours and progress to full-time hours over a few days or weeks, as tolerated. Your back-to work program can be decided upon by you and your employer. Sometimes the input of a physiotherapist or occupational therapist is helpful, particularly if your employer requires a detailed occupational assessment prior to your return to work. An official note from our office is rarely required. If you are unsure about your expected return to work, it is a good idea to discuss your proposed return to work date or program with your family physician and employer prior to your surgery.
14. When can I drive or fly?
You must to be able to weight bear fully and be out of the post op boot prior to driving. You must also have the ability to confidently move your foot from the accelerator to the brake. It is a good idea to test this safely in a parking lot prior to driving on the street. There should be no doubt in your or anyone?s mind that you are ready to drive. Your safety and that of others is of the utmost importance. Depending upon the type of surgery, it is not uncommon to be unable to drive for six to eight weeks post-op. If you have any questions about this, please ask your surgeon or family physician.
If you fly in the early post-operative period, you are at an increased risk of a blood clot. A blood clot can be at least quite troublesome, and at worst fatal. Since you will typically be unable to elevate your foot on a flight, you can also expect more swelling which can predispose you to a variety of complications including wound healing problems and infection. In general, we do not recommend flying for at least two weeks post-surgery.
15. What if I need another prescription for pain?
It is very unlikely that you will require a second prescription for post-operative pain control. You might not even need the first. However, it may happen that you pain is not sufficiently controlled, and if that is the case, please contact us so that we can recommend the appropriate course of action.
If our office is closed, we recommend that you contact your family physician, or go to a minor emergency clinic where the situation can be assessed and you can be looked after. Typically, prescription pain medication is not required for more than two or three days post-operatively. After that, often over-the-counter pain medication such as acetaminophen is sufficient to control discomfort.”