Practice Areas

Arthroscopy of the knee uses small incisions around the knee to gain access to the knee. This allows any pathology inside the knee to be diagnosed, visualised and fixed at the time of surgery. By using arthroscopic knee instruments, this prevents having to do a large skin incision over the knee. This results in decreased blood loss, less pain, less infection and a shorter hospital stay.

Dr Foster and Dr Wessels have payment arrangements with many medical aids. This allows affordable health care to our patients. For the medical aids in which Dr Foster and Dr Wessels don't have a payment arrangement, Dr Foster and Dr Wessels charge out of medical aid rates, which we call private rates. Dr Foster and Dr Wessels are always willing to accommodate patients based on their personal circumstances and offers reductions or discounts if required.

Patients can make an appointment by simply calling our practice on our landline or mobile phone, whereby our friendly practice manager will make an appointment. Patients can also email us or simply click the consultation tab on our website and we will call back to facilitate an appointment at a suitable date or time.

It is advisable that patients see a general practitioner for an initial assessment prior to seeing Dr Foster and Dr Wessels. Some medical aids request that a patient must be referred to Dr Foster and Dr Wessels from a general practitioner. However, If a patient suspects the issue is orthopaedic in nature, they are most welcome to make a direct appointment.

If patients have had joint replacement surgery for arthritis, the prosthetic devices used has a lifespan. Modern joint replacement prosthesis usually last about fifteen to twenty years, on average. If the prosthesis has worn out, patients may require a revision surgery to replace the worn-out prosthesis with a brand new one. Revision surgery is not exclusive to joint replacement surgery. Revision surgery may be required in certain scenarios where a ligament reconstruction was performed and has re-torn, or a previous cartilage occurred and may need to fixed again.

Dr Foster and Dr Wessels works primarily from Netcare St Augustine’s Hospital and Ribumed day facility. If certain medical aids are not covered by this hospital, Dr Foster and Dr Wessels can make arrangements to do the procedure at a different facility.

All patients should be well informed of their diagnosis and treatment plan. If patients have seen other doctors and are uncertain of their condition and would like a second opinion, Dr Foster and Dr Wessels are more than happy to provide further information on the condition and the treatment plan. Dr Foster and Dr Wessels prioritises patient education so that the patient can make an informed decision regarding their treatment plan, therefore, if there is any uncertainty, Dr Foster and Dr Wessels always advises a second opinion.

Many patients may experience some form of a ligament or tendon injury in their lifetime while playing sports, exercising or sometimes falling over. Dr Foster specialises in repairing or reconstructing the Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL), Posterior Cruciate Ligament (PCL), Medial Collateral Ligament (MCL) as well as Lateral Collateral Ligament (LCL) injuries. For any further details about ligament injuries, please contact us to send you a patient information leaflet.

Knee cap (patella) pain is very common in all age groups. There are a variety of conditions that may affect the knee cap. Some patients may have dislocating patellas or instability, some may have pain and others may hear crunching and grinding when bending the knee. We will identify the root cause of the knee cap pain and advise patients on the most appropriate treatment course.

Patients that have been diagnosed with osteoarthritis may eventually require a knee replacement. The reason for this is that there is no treatment for growing cartilage back. We always advise our patients to undergo a course of non-operative treatment first before considering surgery. This includes physiotherapy, steroid injections, hyaluronic injections and occasionally PRP injections before we advise surgery. If however, all these non operative measures fail, then we will consider knee replacement surgery. The knee consists of three compartments. Two tibia femoral compartments and one patellofemoral compartments. If the arthritis only affects one of these compartments, we can offer a partial knee replacement. This is a fantastic option as the surgery is less invasive and shorter, the rehabilitation is quicker, and often, the pain is reduced as it is a smaller operation. However, if there is more than one compartment involved, then a total knee replacement would be indicated. In certain cases, we also can employ the use of robotic navigation systems which help us perform the operation. These options will be discussed with the patient. Please contact us for patient information leaflets on partial knee replacements and total knee replacements to further explain.

Arthroscopy is a small procedure that is undergone in theatre which is used to diagnose and fix problems inside a joint. Two small incisions are made around the knee which allows a small camera inside to have a look and diagnose a problem. The other incision allows another device in to fix whatever the problem may be. Arthroscopy can be done in most large joints and we can treat most conditions through this simple technique. For any further details about arthroscopy, please contact us to send you a patient information leaflet.

Sports injuries are very common in all age groups and this may result in a muscle or tendon injury. Sports injuries are very common in all age groups & muscle or tendon injuries are common. Dr Foster will identify these injuries and advise the appropriate treatment course which may include Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) injections, anti inflammatories and ice packs, physiotherapy and less commonly - surgery.

The cartilage inside the knee surrounds the femur (thigh bone) and tibia (shin bone). This cartilage allows excellent painless range of movement in all the joints in the body. If the cartilage gets worn away or degenerates, this is termed arthritis. However, small little isolated lesions in cartilage may cause pain and locking of the knee. We will identify the size of the lesion and offer a small procedure to drill the bone in this area to allow stem cells to help it heal (called micro fracture), or in larger lesions, we can transplant some cartilage from another part of the knee joint. We will accurately identify the cartilage injury before hand and advise the best treatment option to prevent any further cartilage damage in the knee.

The meniscus is a small soft piece of cartilage between the tibia (shin bone) and femur (thigh bone) inside the knee. It is a very important shock absorber in the knee and prevents the hard cartilage on the bone surfaces from wearing away. A meniscal injury can cause severe pain, swelling and locking of the knee. We are able to identify these injuries and either remove a small piece of meniscus that’s causing pain, or in some instances in younger patients, we repair the meniscus to return the knee to normal function.