Amanda is thinking about a ski holiday after an osteotomy with Prof Adrian Wilson to treat multiple knee injuries.

Amanda’s last injury was the worst as it was a “bucket handle tear” and following an arthroscopy (keyhole surgery), it never recovered.

This impacted on Amanda’s life severely and she was in constant pain, needing to take high dose pain killers. She couldn’t walk very far, had a constant limp, could no longer play tennis or other sports or wear high heeled shoes. She was sleeping badly due to the pain and was in constant discomfort, which made her feel miserable and depressed.

Amanda was advised by her consultant at the time that she would need a half knee replacement at some stage. She did not want to pursue this course of treatment, as at the age of 58, she wanted to get back to sport and sought a long-term solution to her knee problems.

Having investigated other options that might be available online, Amanda came across Professor Wilson’s web page which gave her hope that there may be an alternative solution to a partial knee replacement.

Professor Wilson looked at Amanda’s MRI scan and X-rays which confirmed that she had very little, if any medial cartilage left. This meant that Amanda was experiencing bone on bone contact which had subsequently caused osteo-arthritis resulting in her continual pain.

He suggested a range of treatment options and they decided that a high tibial medial osteotomy would be the best route to give Amanda the best chance of getting back to the sports she enjoys.

Amanda explains her hopes before the operation: “My expectations prior to treatment were just to be able to walk normally again without pain and that depending on how well I recovered that I might be able to get back to sport again even tennis and skiing.”

The operation has given Amanda a better result than she could have hoped: “I am just over 7 months post op and I’m very happy with my progress which has followed the recovery time information that was explained to me and I am very confident that within the next 6 months to a year, I will experience even greater improvement particularly once the plate and pins are removed in September.”

She continues: “My life has returned to being pretty normal, I’m no longer in pain or take pain medication, and I am now pain free, with no limp and returning to normal activities e.g. 10- 15k walks, planning a ski trip and returning to sport. I can even slip the high heels back on occasionally. I’m considering booking a ski holiday for next year and may well have a go at tennis again.”

She has some useful advise to others when considering surgery: “Research all your options and don’t accept that there is only one choice, look on web forums from other people who have similar symptoms/problems and see what they have done/treatments they have undergone and how it worked out, especially check out any case studies relating to your surgeon. I personally looked online at the procedure/operation e.g. HTO being carried out by Prof. Wilson and other surgeons to get a good idea of what to expect, this may not be for everyone, especially the faint hearted as its pretty shocking but it helped me know what I was truly in for! I believed to be reasonably informed about my condition, however, until I had my consultation with Prof. Wilson, I had no idea what an HTO was let alone that it would be a good solution to my condition or that possibly in the long term you may not even need further surgery e.g. knee replacement. Above all do not underestimate the recovery period post op, particularly, if like me, you live on your own because it’s tough and its essential to do all the rehabilitation in order to get good results!”

Amanda summarises her treatment with Professor Wilson: “Adrian is a highly skilled, excellent surgeon and is extremely personable. From my first consultation and diagnosis I felt extremely well informed, very confident and safe with his recommendation to perform a medial high tibial osteotomy to address the continued pain and disability I was experiencing following sports injury and preserving my knee joint. My experience has been extremely positive having received excellent care and attention. I have absolutely no hesitation in recommending Professor Wilson (amazing) and his wonderful team who are all highly skilled, caring professionals who take great care of you.”

Professor Wilson concludes: “An osteotomy can really be a life changer for patients such as Amanda who present with severe bone on bone arthritis yet who are too young for a full or partial knee replacement. I am so pleased Amanda has done so well and is back doing the activities she enjoys.”