Knee Replacement at Murdoch, Perth
Knee replacement at Murdoch with orthopaedic surgeon Dr Rhys Clark — consulting rooms at St John of God Medical Clinic, Suite 10, 100 Murdoch Drive, on the same campus as the hospital where the surgery is performed. Appointments on (08) 6332 6365.
Dr Rhys Clark consults at St John of God Medical Clinic on Murdoch Drive and performs knee replacement surgery at St John of God Murdoch, on the same campus. Consultation, planning, operation and follow-up all happen on one site.
Appointments are booked on (08) 6332 6365.
One campus, start to finish
Consulting rooms and operating theatres are usually in different places, and for a knee replacement that means learning two sets of directions, two car parks and two receptions at a point when walking is already the problem.
At Murdoch they are the same place. The rooms are in the medical clinic building on the hospital campus; the hospital is where the operation is done. Your pre-operative appointments, your admission, and your reviews afterwards are all at an address you will already know by the time you need it.
St John of God Medical Clinic Suite 10, 100 Murdoch Drive Murdoch WA 6150
View on Google Maps · Phone (08) 6332 6365
Before a replacement is considered
A knee replacement is an operation for arthritis that has stopped responding to everything else, and there is usually a good deal to try first — physiotherapy and a targeted exercise programme, weight management, anti-inflammatory medication, and in some knees a corticosteroid injection.
Non-surgical treatment for knee arthritis sets out what the evidence supports and what it does not. Do I need a knee replacement? is the more direct read if you are weighing up whether you have reached the point where surgery is reasonable.
Which knee replacement
- Total knee replacement — for arthritis affecting two or more compartments. The ends of the femur and tibia are resurfaced, along with the undersurface of the kneecap.
- Partial knee replacement — for arthritis confined to one compartment. Less bone is removed and recovery is generally quicker, but it suits a narrower group of knees.
- Knee revision surgery — for a replacement that has loosened, worn, become infected or failed. Dr Clark’s UK fellowship was in revision arthroplasty, and he has performed 60 revision procedures since January 2024.
Which is appropriate is decided from your examination and imaging, and discussed with you at your consultation.
Robotic assistance
Dr Clark uses robotic assistance for total and partial knee replacement, on two systems.
Mako (Stryker) is planned in advance: a CT scan taken before surgery is used to build a virtual pre-operation, so implant size and position are decided before any incision is made. VELYS (DePuy Synthes) is imageless and maps the knee in theatre, so no planning CT is required.
In both cases the robot guides bone preparation and implant placement while the surgeon performs the operation. Which system is used depends on the knee. Dr Clark trained in medical imaging before orthopaedics, which is directly relevant to the CT-based planning Mako uses.
What the operation involves
About 5 to 7 mm of bone is removed from the ends of the femur and tibia, along with the damaged cartilage, and the surfaces are capped with metal components separated by a high-density polyethylene insert. The undersurface of the kneecap is resurfaced as well.
Most patients bear weight within hours and are discharged within a few days, with daily physiotherapy in hospital. A walking aid is usually needed for the first few weeks. Dr Clark reviews you at around two weeks to check the wound and adjust pain management.
Knee replacement recovery sets out the timeline week by week, and what not to do after a knee replacement covers the mistakes that most often cost people progress.
The practice in numbers
Dr Clark performed 401 hip and knee replacements in 2025 and 357 in 2024 — more than 900 since the start of that year, around 60% of them knee replacements. Sixty were revision procedures.
Cost and health insurance
Dr Clark works on a no-gap basis for privately insured knee replacement patients. What you pay depends principally on which pathway you take — private with insurance, public, or self-funded. How much a knee replacement costs in Australia sets out each in detail.
Getting started
Bring to your first appointment:
- Your referral from your GP or another specialist — required to claim the Medicare rebate
- Any imaging: X-rays, CT or MRI scans, with the written reports
- Your Medicare card and private health fund details
- A list of your current medications
Areas served
The Murdoch rooms see knee patients from across Perth’s southern and western suburbs, including Murdoch, Fremantle, Melville, Booragoon, Bull Creek, Willetton, Canning Vale, Cockburn, Success, Applecross, Bibra Lake and Kardinya.
Patients travelling from the Peel region may find knee replacement in Mandurah more practical — consultation and follow-up happen there, with the surgery still performed at Murdoch.
Make an appointment
Phone (08) 6332 6365 to book, or send an enquiry through the contact page.
For the practical detail of the rooms and what else is seen there, see the Murdoch location page.
Where can I have a knee replacement at Murdoch?+
Dr Rhys Clark consults at St John of God Medical Clinic, Suite 10, 100 Murdoch Drive, Murdoch WA 6150, and performs knee replacement surgery at St John of God Murdoch on the same campus. Consultation, planning, surgery and follow-up therefore all happen in one place. Appointments are booked on (08) 6332 6365.
Who does knee replacements at St John of God Murdoch?+
Dr Rhys Clark is an orthopaedic surgeon specialising in hip and knee replacement who consults and operates at Murdoch. He performed 401 hip and knee replacements in 2025, around 60% of which were knee replacements, and 60 revision procedures since January 2024.
Are the consulting rooms and the hospital in the same place?+
Yes. The consulting rooms are at St John of God Medical Clinic, Suite 10, 100 Murdoch Drive, on the St John of God Murdoch hospital campus, which is where most private joint replacement surgery is performed. Your consultation, your surgery and your reviews are all on the same site, and parking and access are the same each visit.
Is the knee replacement robotic?+
Yes. Dr Clark uses robotic assistance for both total and partial knee replacement, on the Mako system and the VELYS system. Mako is planned beforehand as a virtual pre-operation using a CT scan; VELYS is imageless and maps the knee in theatre. The robot guides the bone cuts and implant placement while the surgeon remains in control of the procedure.
Do I need a referral to see a knee replacement surgeon at Murdoch?+
Yes. A referral, usually from your GP, is required to claim a Medicare rebate for a specialist consultation. Bring it to your appointment along with any X-rays, CT or MRI scans and the reports that accompany them.
Which suburbs does the Murdoch practice see knee patients from?+
Perth's southern and western suburbs, including Murdoch, Fremantle, Melville, Booragoon, Bull Creek, Willetton, Canning Vale, Cockburn, Success, Applecross, Bibra Lake and Kardinya.
How long does recovery take after a knee replacement?+
Most patients bear weight within hours of surgery and are discharged from hospital within a few days. A walking stick or crutches are usually needed for the first few weeks, and Dr Clark reviews you at around two weeks to check the wound and adjust pain management. Rehabilitation continues at home with physiotherapy.