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Life-changing osteotomy surgery enables Malcolm to walk long distances, sleep without pain. And get back to active sport.

In 2019, Malcolm’s right knee had started to cause him severe pain and began to affect his everyday life. He began to walk with a limp, had difficulty walking up and down stairs and the pain started to disturb his sleep at night. He became unable to run and noticed that even cycling was becoming increasingly more difficult.

Adrian Wilson’s assurances gave me the confidence to consent to the procedure, and a hope that I could get back to a state of fitness where I could live without pain, participate in sports and walk normally.

TAGGED IN

Knee arthritis / osteoarthritis

Joint preservation

Minimally invasive surgery

The London Knee Osteotomy Centre

He explains “The pain impacted on many aspects; day-to-day domestic activities such as cleaning and gardening became difficult and led to pain after a short period. Sport and exercise became much harder, even ‘lighter’ sports such as table tennis. It affected my back, as I wasn’t walking properly, and it became hard mentally as my condition limited how I could live my life.”  

The pain led Malcolm to seek treatment for his condition. Initially, he was told by another orthopaedic surgeon that he would eventually need to have full knee replacement surgery, but not for another 5-10 years. Unwilling to wait for such a long time, Malcolm decided to do some research online, and during this research he recalls: “I came across Professor Adrian Wilson’s name following some research on a treatment involving blood platelets, which I had read about in a newspaper article. I saw an online video with him talking about his approach and the treatments he had helped to pioneer.”  

Malcolm went ahead and booked an initial consultation with Professor Wilson who, after an examination and looking at diagnostic scans, was able to diagnose Malcolm with grade IV lateral and patellofemoral osteoarthritis, affecting the lateral compartment of his right knee. Aware that Malcolm was keen to avoid joint replacement surgery, Professor Wilson discussed other treatment options with Malcolm and recommended a distal femoral osteotomy. Malcolm recalls “Adrian Wilson’s assurances gave me the confidence to consent to the procedure, and a hope that I could get back to a state of fitness where I could live without pain, participate in sports and walk normally.”  

Early in 2020, Professor Wilson and his expert team successfully performed a distal femoral osteotomy on Malcom’s right knee. Malcolm reports: “It all went very well, and I was hugely impressed with the professionalism and the friendliness of all the medical staff involved. It gave me great reassurance.”  

In terms of rehabilitation, Malcolm’s surgery unfortunately fell at the start of the coronavirus lockdown which meant that he was unable to receive any physiotherapy immediately following his operation. However, Malcolm was given exercise programmes which enabled him to regain his strength and use an exercise bike. Malcolm states “I was able to shed the crutches within a few weeks and start walking unaided.”  

Just over a year later, Malcolm had the plate removed from his femur in a simple procedure performed as a day patient. Malcolm said “I was in and out of the clinic in just over 4 hours, and once again I cannot fault the quality of care and the kindness and consideration given by all the staff involved. This was a much less impactful procedure, and I was able to cycle and begin exercising within 3 weeks.” 

Following the plate removal in March, Malcolm has resumed his active lifestyle that he had been forced to give up before the operation. Malcolm says “I am really pleased with the outcome of the osteotomy procedure. I am pain free, able to play active sports, cycle and walk long distances, train in the gym and work in my garden. This has made a huge difference to my life”. 

When asked if he had any advice for patients with similar problems, Malcolm explains: “Get assessed as soon as possible and have confidence that the treatment will work and that you will get back to full fitness.”  

To summarise his experience with Professor Wilson and Mr Khakha, Malcolm remarks: “Professor Wilson and his team, particularly Mr Raghbir Khakha, have been both highly professional and yet very approachable. They have helped me to get my life back, not only physically but mentally too, as dealing with the limitations and the pain I experienced was very hard. The advice Professor Wilson gave to me at the initial consultation was considered and absolutely right for me. Thank you.” 

Professor Adrian Wilson
Professor Adrian Wilson:
Mr Raghbir Khakha is a specialist trauma and orthopaedic knee surgeon
Mr Raghbir Khakha:

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