Many of us pay little to no attention to our knees until something goes wrong with them. If they become damaged – whether through acute trauma, disease or ageing – we realise just how much we depend on them for so many of our everyday movements and activities.
Knee pain is a common problem, most frequently caused by a sports injury or general ‘wear-and-tear’ in the joint.
Many knee injuries will resolve themselves without the need for any treatment, but if your symptoms do not go away, get worse or affect daily life, it is sensible to get expert help.
Similarly, if general ‘wear and tear’ in your knee is causing your knee to become stiff and painful, and is limiting your mobility, you may like to get assessment and tailored advice from a knee specialist.
At The Sarum Road Hospital in Winchester, Hampshire, leading Consultant Knee Surgeons help to get people out of pain and back to better mobility and knee function. They would be delighted to help you too.
Although your consultation will be with a knee surgeon, it is important to know surgery may not be required to resolve your symptoms. Many knee conditions can be treated and managed successfully without the need for surgery.
Non-surgical (conservative) treatments are often extremely effective at relieving symptoms and restoring mobility and function to the knee. These treatments include:
- Pain relief medication (analgesia)
- Physiotherapy
- Joint injections – usually a corticosteroid, but Hyaluronic acid or Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) may be helpful for some conditions
If these treatments are not effective at relieving your symptoms, or become less effective over time, surgery may be an option.
In other cases, such as a torn ligament in the knee, surgery may the best treatment from the very beginning.
Whatever is causing you knee problem, your consultant will thoroughly investigate the cause, diagnose the problem and arrange the best treatment for you as soon as possible.
At The Sarum Road Hospital, we provide a comprehensive range of knee treatments:
- Ligament Repair or Reconstruction – the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is the one most frequently damaged in the knee
- Cartilage Surgery
- Total Knee Replacement
- Partial Knee Replacement
- Revision Total Knee Replacement
- Unicompartmental Knee Replacement (lateral or medial)
- Medial Patellofemoral Ligament Reconstruction
- Meniscus Repair
- Osteotomy
- Patellofemoral Realignment or Replacement
- Popliteal Treatment (Baker’s Cyst)
Many types of knee surgery are carried out with arthroscopy (keyhole surgery). This minimally invasive surgery can be used for both diagnosis and surgical repair, and results in less pain, improved recovery times and less scarring.
When you meet with your consultant at the hospital, they will take a detailed medical history and ask you about your symptoms. They may ask you questions like:
- What symptoms do you have and when did they start?
- If you have pain in the knee, can you describe it?
- Have you received any treatment already, such as prescribed medication or physiotherapy?
- What activities are you not able to do because of your symptoms?
They will carry out a full examination of your knee, and often your hip, back and lower leg if they suspect a problem in any of these places. (Sometimes, pain in the knee can be referred pain caused by a problem in one of these areas.)
You may be referred for additional investigations like X-ray, MRI or ultrasound. To avoid delay, these can be done either in advance or on the day of your consultation.
Using your symptoms, the physical examination and the results of any diagnostic imaging, your consultant will explain the results to you and discuss suitable treatment options.
If you have any questions or concerns, they will be very happy to talk through these with you. It is always important that you know the expected benefits from any treatment, as well as risks or possible complications, so that you can make an informed choice about treatment.
Treatment will always be tailored to your specific needs and what will be best for you. We have very experienced consultants, nurses and physiotherapists and perform large numbers of joint replacement procedures, keyhole surgeries and ligament reconstructions. This depth of experience means that we get very good results, with excellent patient feedback.
People aged 18+ trust us with their knee health. While many of our patients live locally in and around Winchester, excellent road access also makes it easy to visit us from further away. We regularly see people from Portsmouth, Chichester, Marlborough, London…and even Leicestershire!
A large number of people are recommended to us by a friend or family member, who was delighted with their own treatment previously. We also have many people referred to us by their GP, physiotherapist, sports physiotherapist, osteopath or chiropractor.
We see private medical insurance and self-pay patients, and you can self-refer to us to avoid delay in getting the help you need.
If you have any type of knee problem, we do not believe you will find a better place to come in Winchester for assessment, treatment and rehabilitation than The Sarum Road Hospital.
We offer:
- Quick access to expert help – We have very short waiting times for out-patient appointments and can usually arrange an MRI scan within a few days (often on the day of the outpatient appointment). Our one-stop knee clinic with same day MRI scanning will help you to get clarity sooner. We also have short waiting times for surgery, usually within a few weeks.
- Tailored approach – Each knee is different, and any knee surgery needs to be carefully calibrated to provide a stable, well-functioning joint. Your consultant will tailor your treatment to your specific needs to help you get the best results possible.
- Remote Consultation – Consultations for knee problems are normally carried out in person in the hospital. We can also offer remote consultations by telephone or online video call when required (and where clinically appropriate).
- Bespoke support – If knee surgery is required, our pre-assessment clinic will make sure you have all the information you need. Superb Occupational Therapists and social workers will help make sure your home is suitable for you to move around in as you recover. Our excellent on-site physiotherapy team will help you to regain strength, movement and function in your knee again, safely and at the right pace for you.
- Multidisciplinary team (MDT) - With leading Consultant Knee Surgeons, physiotherapists, nurses, radiologists and many other experienced healthcare professionals on-site, you will always be well-supported and cared for at all times.
- Recommended by our patients – In an independent survey, 99.5% of the people we treated said they were likely or extremely likely to recommend The Sarum Road Hospital to their friends and family.
Location – We’re extremely easy to travel to, located just minutes from the centre of Winchester. The hospital is in a stunning rural setting, right on the edge of the Royal Winchester Golf Club.
If you are concerned about a problem with your knee, it is important to know that you are not alone. Good help is available, sooner than you may think.
We can provide a range of treatments for you, both surgical and conservative, to help get you out of pain and back to better movement and function once more.
For peace of mind and known expert care, why not book your appointment online now?
