When pain prevents you from doing the activities you love, it’s a sign you should seek medical advice. For a keen traveller from North Somerset, this was what motivated her to undergo robotic-arm assisted knee and hip replacement surgery at Nuffield Health Bristol Hospital – and now she’s back on track to take on her next challenge.
When Angela, a retired banking regional operations manager from Langford, is asked to name her favourite holiday destination, her answer may surprise you. “Antarctica,” she says. “We’ve been lucky enough to go twice. It’s magical. Travel is our thing and I want to be fit and able enough, to carry on doing it for a few more years.”
Angela, 68, has always been relatively fit and healthy, but inherited a knee condition from her father. “I was diagnosed as having laterally tracking patellas about 25 years ago,” Angela says. “I nursed my knees along for a good 20 years or so, but when it got to the stage where I’d be out walking with my husband, Keith, and fall over because one of my knees would collapse, we realised I had to do something about it.”
Post COVID 19 delays to elective procedures within the NHS led Angela to explore the option of privately-funded treatment, booking an appointment with Consultant Orthopaedic Knee Surgeon, Mr Damian Clark, at Nuffield Health Bristol Hospital in Clifton. Keen to regain and maintain as much functionality as possible, Angela opted to have a total knee replacement, and as a result of her own research, also chose the Mako robotic-arm assisted surgery offered by Nuffield Health.
This state-of-the-art technology from Stryker® brings patients a range of benefits, as Mr Clark explains: “The Mako robotics system permits an enhanced surgical plan with precise execution. A virtual model of the patient’s knee is created from their scan, which is used to make a plan for surgery. The surgeon can fine tune this during the operation, and the robot helps the surgeon to prepare the bone for implantation with extreme accuracy. The real world advantages for the patient, demonstrated by using this technology, include reduced pain and faster recovery.”
In October 2021, Angela underwent her first knee replacement. “That made a huge difference,” she says, “and although the other knee wasn’t as bad, I knew that it would soon need replacing too.” Impressed with the outcomes of the first knee operation, Angela consulted with Mr Clark to have her second knee replaced just 18-months later. However, by the end of the year, Angela’s physiotherapist recommended she make another appointment with Mr Clark because, although her initial recovery had been excellent, she was now experiencing some pain during her exercises.
Angela was surprised to learn from Mr Clark that this new pain was not related to her knees, but was instead her hip, and he referred her to his colleague, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon, Mr Richard Baker, who specialises in hip surgery, as well as knees.
“I was really pleased with the results I had from my two knee operations in terms of the functionality, how quickly I healed, and the relative lack of pain,” Angela explains. “We love to travel and wanted to get on with life, so a quicker recovery was important to us. That’s why, when I found out I’d probably need a hip replacement, I asked Mr Baker if I could have the robotic-arm assisted surgery.”
Mr Baker says: “Similar to the knee replacement, the Mako robotic system uses a scan of the hip, which is analysed to optimise the implant position and size for each individual patient. The real beauty of this system is that there is enhanced planning that can be executed accurately during surgery to optimise the position of the implant and reconstruct the hip very accurately.”
Angela’s hip surgery was in July this year. “I’m amazed how quickly I managed to recover after my hip replacement,” she says. “The physiotherapists I saw at Nuffield Health for all my post-op rehab were brilliant. I expected to be out of commission for much longer than I was, but within six weeks I was able to do some gentle gardening. Best of all, we can start planning more holidays.”
The next trip Angela and Keith are planning is to the Tiger’s Nest Monastery in Bhutan, which involves a five-hour trek through Himalayan terrain. “That was always my target,” Angela says, “and now, thanks to Nuffield Health, it’s achievable again.”
If you’ve been experiencing hip or knee pain and would like to book a consultation at Nuffield Health Bristol Hospital, call 0117 906 4870 – or visit the website, where you can also book an appointment online.
