Do you need a referral for osteotomy?

An osteotomy is an operation in which a surgeon cuts and realigns a bone to change how forces pass through a joint or limb. It is not booked from a symptom alone. The orthopaedic team considers your examination, alignment, joint function, activity goals, medical history, and imaging before discussing whether surgery is appropriate.

Start with your general practitioner or treating clinician, or contact the orthopaedic service to ask about its pathway. Gather imaging reports, previous treatment details, medicine and allergy lists, and notes about how pain or limited movement affects work and daily tasks. Ask whether the service needs a new examination or specific imaging before the surgical consultation.

Seek urgent care for a visibly deformed limb after injury, an inability to bear weight after significant trauma, a cold or pale foot or hand, rapidly increasing swelling, or new loss of movement or sensation. These problems need timely assessment and should not wait for a routine surgical referral.

Ask what alignment problem the operation would address, which alternatives remain, what recovery and rehabilitation involve, how risks will be managed, and which findings would change the recommendation.