My Knee Surgery
Jon Wilson
Treated by: Dave Duffy
Procedure: Partial knee replacement
“By four weeks I felt my knee was getting there. By six weeks it really did feel back to normal.”
Jon Wilson had very little warning that he was going to need a knee replacement. In March 2018 he developed a Baker’s cyst, a build-up of fluid at the back of the knee.
“Within a week or so I was hobbling round,” he recalls. “The pain really was rather bad so I went to an after-hours surgery and the doctor identified that the cyst had burst.”
Jon, 71, was advised that the ruptured cyst should heal in a few weeks. He was told to keep the leg elevated and take over the counter anti-inflammatories to reduce the pain and aid the cyst’s absorption back into the body.
“I went from being a fairly active person to being pretty inactive one”
But a week later the pain remained.
“It really happened over such a quick period. I went from being a fairly active person to being pretty inactive one. I struggled to walk the dog. I enjoy gardening and it severely restricted me there, and I couldn’t get to my allotment.”
Jon visited his GP who referred him to Dave Duffy, who quickly identified that the Baker’s cyst had been an indicator of an underlying problem.
“David identified osteoarthritis on the inner part of knee,” explains Jon.
“He explained what had happened to my knee and said it was unlikely the pain would improve without an operation. Because only part of the knee had deteriorated, he told me that a partial knee replacement would be appropriate, and should help get me back where I should be.”
Dave Duffy
Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon & District NHS Foundation Trust
“Mr Duffy is a wonderful knee surgeon but he’s a very approachable guy as well… That makes a huge difference.”
Jean Drake,
YKC patient.
It didn’t take long for Jon to make the decision to proceed.
“David communicated the benefits of the operation very well and in a way that was helpful and easy to understand. I knew that if I wanted to go back to where I was before I needed an operation, so there wasn’t much of a decision to make.”
Jon’s operation took place in August 2018 at Harrogate’s Duchy Hospital.
“By six weeks I really did feel back to normal”
“I was in on the Tuesday,” Jon explains. “I had the operation that day and all went smoothly. I didn’t need a general anaesthetic. The next day I woke in a bit of pain and discomfort but I was able to move around a little bit on a frame. Then I moved onto sticks and by late afternoon that day I was home.”
Jon “stuck religiously” to the physiotherapy programme he was given, and is keen to stress the importance of the physio to a speedy recovery.
“After a week I was able to get around on one stick,” he says.
“After two weeks I was managing without sticks. By four weeks I felt I was getting there and and by six weeks I really did feel back to normal.”
‘Normal’ has meant getting back into the garden, back out with his dog and back onto the allotment.
“I couldn’t do it for hour after hour,” he clarifies, “but I could certainly work for an hour or 90 minutes without a problem.”
“It’s a no-brainer”
Knee surgery isn’t a simple decision. There are risks, and for many it is an unnerving prospect. Jon takes a different view:
“From my experience it’s a no brainer. You go from a position of severe discomfort to really getting back to normal. Even within a week you notice the difference, but if you’re going to make a quick recovery you’ve got to do the physio.”
At six weeks Jon saw Dave again, and he was very pleased with his progress. He’ll see Dave once more at the six month stage for a final check.
“David’s excellent. He’s very communicative and there wasn’t any stuffiness about him. He’s a chilled out guy.”
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