Finding us on your first visit
Getting to a specialist's rooms for the first time is one of the small stresses of an appointment, particularly in a hospital building you do not know. The video below shows the route.
Where the rooms are
The Shoulder Clinic is located at Brisbane Private Hospital in Spring Hill, Brisbane.
Before the appointment
In Australia, seeing a specialist surgeon ordinarily requires a referral from a general practitioner or from another specialist. The referral matters for two reasons: it sets out the history and what has already been tried, and it is what allows a Medicare rebate to be claimed against the consultation.
A shoulder consultation generally follows the same shape. The history is taken first, covering how the problem began, what makes it worse, what has already been tried and what the shoulder now stops you doing. The shoulder is then examined, which involves moving it through its range and testing it against resistance. Any imaging is reviewed alongside those findings, because a scan on its own does not establish which of the things it shows is actually causing the symptoms. Only then is it possible to discuss what the options are. Individual results vary.
Making the visit easier
A few things generally help on a first appointment: allow extra time for parking and for finding your way, bring any imaging you have had done along with the reports, bring your referral and a list of your current medications, and wear something that allows the shoulder to be examined without difficulty.
Our consultation page explains what an appointment involves, and the consultation FAQs answer the practical questions about what to bring and what to expect.
Related information
- Our post on the Shoulder Clinic walkthrough, which shows the rooms themselves, including reception, the physiotherapy room and the consultation room
- Our shoulder injuries page
- Our surgery FAQs