Going back to my rugby playing, I had one cartilage removed and one trimmed which later deteriorated leaving me with no protection between my bones. My job also involved carrying and kneeling which didn’t help. To be honest the gym really was not the problem.

I could modify most things so that I was pain free. Walking on a daily basis was however becoming painful in both knees. Down hill especially was very painful. Running was not possible. When I got out of the car I limped for 3 or 4 steps because of the pain in my left knee, which was the worse of the two.

So it was time to look for solutions I went to see Mr Hoad-Reddick, part of the Orth Team at the Spire Hospital in Manchester. Mr Hoad-Reddick specializes in Hip and knee replacement surgery. I had sent a short video of myself doing some crossfit movements to show Mr Hoad-Reddick what I was hoping to be able to do after surgery but knew I had to be realistic. Following the consultation, Mr Hoad-Reddick suggested I went to see his collegue Mr Simon Barton, who did partial knee replacements as it could be a better solution.

I had an MRI scan to check that my lateral cartilages and ligaments where all ok. Happily the other parts seemed to be in good condition so my surgery was booked for the 25th July 2022.