Mr Gareth Stables 2017-10-05 Person 5 5 0

Having suffered with and persisted to try and stubbornly ignore the constant knee pain for almost twelve months I finally admitted to myself i needed to seek a specialists view and via my healthcare provider Mr Stables was recommended. From the first consultation even though having listened to the potential risks I have felt safe in his care and fully informed about my conditions and possible solutions I was also able to arrive at my own conclusions as to the best treatment for myself. I have undergone two separate procedures on the same knee since my first consultation the second being almost a year to the day which demonstrates my trust level, I have to commend Mr Stables and the staff that have looked after myself on both occasions including all communications. Although surgery is a daunting thought I felt completely relaxed on both occasions and the levels of care whilst within the hospital were excellent. My second procedure was a high tibial osteotomy which sounds nicer than it actually is or looks when you are first shown an image of it but in all honesty it was much better post procedure than I had anticipated. I am currently moving into my 4 month of post operation recovery and I would put it simply into three recovery. My first month was mainly about managing the pain via the prescribed medication and the management of the swelling and bruising with ice and elevation whilst trying to maintain and improve movement of the knee, I would suggest being prepared for the long days i.e. somewhere pre arranged to sit with food and drinks readily at hand , I had a large bean bag on the sofa which was just the correct height for me, I could walk with the aid of crutches within a hours of the operation but you are unable to carry much so that's is something to think about, I hated the thought of losing my independence so silly things like being able to make and carry your own drinks was important. Be prepared for monotony, books movies crosswords etc. The second phase moved more into frequent physio visits and home exercises to increased load and movement of the knee, this is to be honest difficult to motivate yourself to do on a daily basis, it is a balance between pain and a need to do it frequently i focused on doing as much as I could put up with, but within a couple of weeks I had full knee movement and I could walk with some discomfort but walk all the same which is a huge milestone to put the crutches aside. My third was was don't be scared of the staircase this was my mental block , walking upstairs unaided without crutches or a handrail as a safety net basically worried that my knee would give way or the pain would become unbearable so the target was to simply walk up and down stairs like I used to every single day normally, this sounds like a small step ( no pun intended ) but it was the most difficult thing for me, persistence of ten times a day making myself walk up and down two flights of stairs started to pay dividends, going up became easier but strangely walking back down is more difficult to overcome, I am pleased to say however I am now able to walk in both directions without too much trouble, The physio treatments and exercises provided on frequent visits have supported my recovery greatly and they are matched to your ability at each visit, not too much but just enough to push you ahead. I am now purely focusing on strength building as after having a couple of bad knee pain years and hobbling rather than walking the muscle waist on my quads is the only thing holding me back now but this improves daily as my strength increases the remaining joint pain reduces. I understand that I'm not 16 anymore and 50 is looming but I am in a much better position than before I visited Mr Stables. In total my initial road to recovery from pain to everyday activities will of lasted around 18 weeks which is a far better place to be than constant pain , so thank you.