Knee surgery in Poole

If a knee is damaged in any way – whether by acute trauma, disease or the result of ageing - it can have a surprising impact on many everyday movements and activities.

Sports injuries and general ‘wear-and-tear’ in the joint are the two most common causes of pain and/or stiffness in the knee. If your symptoms are mild, it can often be fairly easy to ignore them.

Many knee problems will often resolve themselves naturally over time, without the need for any treatment. However, if your symptoms do not go away or start to become worse, it is sensible to get expert help.

At Harbour Hospital in Poole, Dorset, leading Consultant Knee Surgeons treat a wide range of knee symptoms and conditions, helping to get people out of pain and stiffness, and back to better movement and function in the knee again. They would be delighted to help you too.

Many knee problems can be treated effectively without the need for any type of surgery.

Non-surgical (conservative) treatments are often extremely helpful at relieving symptoms. These treatments include:

• Pain relief medication (analgesia)
• Physiotherapy – can help to strengthen the muscles around the knee, leg and back to correct imbalances and improve stability
• Joint injections – usually a corticosteroid, but Hyaluronic acid or Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) may be helpful for some conditions

If these treatments are not able to relieve your symptoms adequately, surgery may be an option. In other cases, such as a ligament tear, surgery may be needed as the first treatment option.

Whatever symptoms you have, your consultant will carry out a comprehensive investigation to diagnose the problem and will then arrange the most appropriate treatment for your specific condition as soon as possible.

At Harbour Hospital, we provide an extremely comprehensive range of knee treatments, including:

• Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) Reconstruction
• Posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) Reconstruction
• Multi-ligament Reconstruction
• Cartilage Surgery – including chondral grafting
• 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
• Trochleoplasty – to prevent recurrent kneecap dislocation

Years ago, the only way of operating on a knee was with “open” surgery.

Nowadays, many operations can be done using keyhole surgery (knee arthroscopy).

This minimally invasive surgery can be used to diagnose and repair problems within the joint.

Knee arthroscopy causes less pain, reduces scarring and can help to improve recovery times.

Some of the knee surgery procedures we perform most commonly include:

Keyhole meniscus surgery

Comprised of cartilage, the menisci are the 'shock absorbers' in your knee, helping to absorb and safely dissipate energy created in the joint every time you move it. If you damage the cartilage, meniscus surgery may be needed to either remove the cartilage or tor repair it. 

Meniscus surgery is usually done arthroscopically, also known as keyhole surgery.

Anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries are very common, accounting for 40% of all knee injuries in sport.

If your ACL is partially or completely torn, surgery may be needed. This is known as ACL reconstruction. The surgery normally involves taking ligaments from other areas in the leg and using them to reconstruct the torn ACL. While this surgery can be extremely helpful, it often has a long recovery time, and you should expect it to take anywhere from 6–12 months for you to fully recover.

Total knee replacement surgery

Total knee replacement surgery is a common procedure for knee pain that has been caused by degenerative knee conditions such as arthritis. It involves removing the damaged portion of your knee and replacing it with an artificial joint.

When you meet with your consultant at the hospital, they will talk with you in detail about the symptoms you have. They will ask you questions like:

• What symptoms do you have?
• When did they start?
• How would you describe your knee pain?
• Have you received treatment already, such as prescribed medication?
• How are your symptoms affecting you on a daily basis?

They will carry out an examination of your knee. The hip, back and lower leg will also often be examined as pain in the knee can be referred from a problem in these areas.

While this may be all that is needed to make a diagnosis and plan treatment, further investigations may be required. This will often be an X-ray, MRI scan or ultrasound, all of which are available at Harbour Hospital.

Once all results are back, your consultant will explain them to you and then discuss suitable treatment options with you. They will let you know the results you should expect to see from any treatment, as well as the risks and possible complications.

You will always have the information you need to make an informed choice about treatment, and your consultant will be happy to discuss any questions or concerns you may have.

It is important to know that there is never a ‘one size fits all’ treatment for a knee problem. Treatment will always be tailored to your specific requirements in order to give you the best result possible.

Many of our patients are from Poole and the surrounding areas, although people also travel from further afield, particularly for some of the more advanced treatments we offer such as chondral grafting and complex primary knee replacement.

People are often referred to us by their GP, physiotherapist or private medical insurance provider. Others self-refer, having been recommended to us by a family member or friend.

We treat private medical insurance and self-pay patients.

For any type of knee problem, we do not believe you will find a better place to come for assessment and treatment in or around Poole than Harbour Hospital. 

We can provide you with:

• Quick access to expert help – We have short waiting times for out-patient appointments and for surgery. With extremely long waiting times for knee surgery in the NHS, we can get you out of pain and back to better mobility sooner.
• Fast turnaround of diagnostic tests – On-site radiologists report on X-rays, ultrasound and MRI and CT scans promptly, so that the results are back with your consultant as soon as possible. With a faster diagnosis, treatment can be planned earlier.
• Tailored approach – Your consultant will tailor treatment to your specific. Any knee surgery will be carefully calibrated to provide you with a stable, well-functioning joint.
• Remote Consultation – Consultations for knee problems are normally carried out in person in the hospital. For your convenience, we can also offer remote consultations by telephone or online video call when required (and where clinically appropriate).
• Recommended by our patients – In an independent survey, 98.6% of the people we treated said they were likely or extremely likely to recommend Harbour Hospital to their friends and family. With low infection rates and MRSA rates, we are also a very safe place to visit for assessment and treatment.
• Personal support – If knee surgery is required, our pre-assessment clinic will make sure you have all the information you need before your surgery. Our excellent on-site physiotherapy team will work closely with you as you recover from surgery, helping you to regain strength, movement and stability safely.
• Multidisciplinary team (MDT) - With leading Consultant Knee Surgeons, physiotherapists, nurses, radiologists and many other experienced healthcare professionals on-site, you will always see the most appropriate person at all times.

If you have any knee symptoms that are causing you concern, or that are affecting daily life, it is a sensible course of action to see an experienced knee consultant for help.

We offer a wide range of treatments for a number of knee conditions and symptoms. Whether treatment will be conservative or surgical, we can arrange it for you without delay.

For peace of mind and known expert care, why not book your appointment with a highly experienced Consultant Knee Surgeon now?

We look forward to welcoming you to Harbour Hospital and helping to get you out of pain and back to better movement again as soon as possible.

To book a consultation to discuss knee surgery with an orthopaedic surgeon near you, use our online booking system, or give us a call and one of our dedicated advisors will help you find an appointment time that suits you.