Share review of Mr Paul Trikha

Mr Paul Trikha 2016-06-08 Person 5 5 0

I am 66 years old and had a total knee replacement operation performed by Paul Trikha in November 2015. Due to a football injury many years ago, I had hardly any cartilage in my left knee and as a result suffered pain and loss of mobility. Despite this, I continued to maintain a good level of fitness. During my first consultation with Paul, he gave me much confidence that I was in safe hands. He made it quite clear that I needed a total knee replacement operation and that there would be a long road to recovery. In preparation for the op, I watched almost the whole of a video on YouTube of an actual total knee replacement operation. It was brutal. So I knew what to expect and realised that the outcome of such an operation would depend hugely on the skills and knowledge of the surgeon. The operation went according to plan. For those who have yet to have the operation, do be prepared to endure at least two to three weeks of acute pain/discomfort post op. Apart from the actual incision and the procedure inside the knee, there will also be significant soft tissue damage due to the necessary clamping and use of tourniquet. I attended weekly rehab sessions with the excellent physio recommended by Paul. Despite the pain, do persevere with getting as much flexion of the knee as you can. It's hard to get past 90 degrees at first. At the same time, I also had weekly consultations with a separate physio who concentrated only on relieving the bruising and soft tissue damage by massage. However, the most important post op self-help I found was to use the Cryo/Cuff to ice the knee as often as I could, especially after any exertion. This greatly helped to disperse fluid in the knee, i.e. reduce swelling. The new knee will feel 'foreign' for quite a while but will soon feel natural after about three months. Now, just over six months post op, I cannot praise Paul enough for his skill and professionalism. Firstly, no more knee pain and I can flex my left knee to over 135 degrees, much better than before the op. I play at least two rounds of 18 holes of golf every week and attend sessions with my personal trainer at the gym. I have been advised by Paul not to run even though I can because 'why wear out the new knee sooner than necessary' when there are many other non-load bearing exercises to get fit with. I certainly intend to heed his advice but out of curiosity, I discovered a couple of days ago that I can now even sprint (for short distance obviously but absolutely pain free) ! I had not felt that exhilaration for years, thank you Paul !