Meet your surgeon
Dr. Mahmut Kalender, Orthopedic Surgeon in Istanbul
Dr. Mahmut Kalender is an orthopedic and trauma surgeon at Dora Hospital in Istanbul, with a practice focused on the knee. He developed the pain-free knee replacement approach to change what patients go through in the first days after surgery: less pain, walking the day after surgery and, for most patients, just one night in the hospital.
- More than 30 years in orthopedic surgery
- Developer of the pain-free knee replacement approach
- Speaks English
Experience
A surgeon focused on the knee
Orthopedics and Traumatology · Dora Hospital, Istanbul
Dr. Kalender has practiced orthopedic surgery for more than 30 years, and over that time the knee has become the center of his work. He has performed more than 10,000 knee operations, from arthritis and meniscus problems to knee replacement.
Before joining Dora Hospital, he worked at İstinye State Hospital and Emek Hospital in Istanbul.
30+ years
In orthopedic surgery
10,000+
Knee operations
About 10 years
Developing the pain-free approach
3 languages
English, Persian and Turkish
His approach
The surgeon behind the pain-free approach
Over the past decade, Dr. Kalender has developed his own way of performing knee replacement, designed around the first days after surgery. The goal is simple: keep pain as low as possible so you can rest, get on your feet the day after surgery and take an active part in your own recovery.
Every patient is assessed individually, and he’s honest when surgery isn’t the right step yet.
Learn about the pain-free approach →
Pain kept low from the start
Your pain plan is prepared before surgery, so you can rest, sleep and move.
On your feet the day after surgery
Walking the day after surgery is at the center of the approach.
Usually one night in the hospital
You leave the hospital once you’re walking confidently and know your routine.
Less long-term physical therapy
Many suitable patients need little formal therapy after surgery.
The personal side
Why pain matters to him
In his years of practice, Dr. Kalender has seen how fear of pain makes people put off knee replacement, sometimes for years, and how hard the first weeks after a conventional operation can be.
He also knows bone pain firsthand. After breaking a bone in an accident himself, he understands what patients feel in a way few surgeons do. That experience is part of why he has spent years refining an approach built around comfort and early movement.
Background
Education and training
Medical degree
Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine (English program), 1991.
Specialty training
Orthopedics and Traumatology, Gaziantep University, 1996.
Membership
Turkish Medical Association.
Languages
English, Persian and Turkish.
How it works
Your first conversation is with Dr. Kalender
There’s no cost and no obligation. If you go ahead, Dr. Kalender performs your surgery himself and stays involved in your care after you return home.
01 · Send your details
Share your X-rays or MRI
Fill in a short form and upload any imaging you have. No recent imaging? The team will tell you what’s needed.
02 · Personal review
Dr. Kalender reviews your case
He looks at your imaging, symptoms and health information himself.
03 · Video call in English
Talk it through together
He tells you whether knee replacement is right for you, what he would recommend and what your recovery could look like.
Have a question for Dr. Kalender?
Where he operates
Dora Hospital, Istanbul
Dr. Kalender operates at Dora Hospital in Şişli, Istanbul. For patients from the US, the hospital’s international patient team helps with travel planning, transfers and your stay in Istanbul.
See how the trip works →
In the media
On television
Dr. Kalender regularly explains knee conditions and treatment options on Turkish television health programs, including:
- Önce Sağlık, Ülke TV: knee replacement and the pain-free approach (2021–2024)
- Kadın Hayattır, Woman TV: meniscus problems and treatment options
Free online consultation
Talk to Dr. Kalender about your knee
Send your X-rays or MRI and get a personal answer from Dr. Kalender, by video and in English.