Mr Tahir Mahmud 2018-06-14 Person 5 5 0

I am a 57 year old self employed Landscape/Gardener who up until the past 7 years has enjoyed a very active lifestyle including participating in many different sports. Over the past seven years I have experienced an increasing amount of pain to both knees that has severely restricted my ability to carry out my physical work and also had a negative impact on my quality of life. I could no longer enjoy going on long walks with my wife, nor, enjoy simple tasks such as walking our pet dog. I have previously undergone bi-lateral knee arthroscopies on the onset of the knee pain approximately 10 years ago, this did improve my condition but only for a short duration of time. In the autumn of 2017 my local GP referred me to Mr Mahmud a specialist Knee and Hip Surgeon at The Spire Regency hospital at Macclesfield. At the initial consultation with Mr Mahmud I had a series of x-rays done on each knee that confirmed bone on bone changes within the medial compartments on both knees. I was keen to pursue a more permanent solution to my now quite severe knee pain and was told that a partial knee replacement was needed on each knee. Mr Mahmud then said that it was possible to have both knees operated on under the same anaesthetic and as I was very keen to get back to work as quickly as possible, this seemed the perfect solution for me. On the 14th December 2017 I was admitted to The Spire Regency Hospital, Macclesfield to undergo bilateral Oxford knee replacements on the same day under the same anaesthetic. I recall going into theatre around 1pm and waking up from the operation in my room around 5-30 later that afternoon. I was surprised how mobile I was immediately after the surgery and the very next day I was comfortably able to walk around the ward and negotiate stairs with the aid of my crutches. Two days later on the 16th of December I was discharged from the hospital. Whilst there was some minor swelling to both knees and a reduced amount of movement or bend of the knee, I was still surprisingly very mobile considering it was only a few days after surgery. I was given several exercises and stretches to complete at home as part of my immediate recovery programme and this rehabilitation work certainly helped my initial recovery. Two weeks after the surgery I started with regular physiotherapy with the aim to aid muscle strengthening and to increase the flexion to both knees. Within 4 weeks of my surgery I could walk without crutches or a stick and had over 120 degrees of flexion in both knees. By April 2018 I was able to start work and for the first time in over 10 years had no knee pain in either leg. In summary, I am so glad Mr Mahmud gave me the option of undergoing bilateral knee replacements on the same day and I would definitely recommend this option to anyone deemed fit to undergo this type of surgery. Mike Goodhind