NHS makes the road to recovery easier after my knee operation - Steve Cardownie

The hospital recommended a spinal anaesthetic instead of a general one for my knee replacement surgery

It is just over a month since I had knee replacement surgery on my right knee, my left having been done last August, and is now tickety-boo.

Since then, however, I have been asked by quite a few people what the procedure was like, was it painful and how long.is the road to recovery.

While the operation itself is pretty standard and I would imagine does not significantly change from patient to patient, recovery is another matter entirely.

I would describe the operation as completely painless, at least it was for me, and was carried out in the professional manner I have come to expect from the NHS.

Attending the ERI at 7.30 am I was wheeled into the theatre as the last patient undergoing knee surgery that day. In any case I was taken just before lunchtime, and it was all done and dusted a couple of hours later.

An injection at the base of my spine negated the need for a general anaesthetic, although I was completely unaware of what was going on in the theatre and only really “came to” when I was back in the ward and after one overnight stay I was discharged.

I left armed with the appropriate medication and instructions on how best to aid my recovery and all is going as well as can be expected. The timescale can vary widely but I was told that I should be patient and not expect too much too soon.

The good weather we are having just now has lifted my spirits as I look forward to walking in the Pentland Hills again quite soon and a few months of discomfort is a small price to pay for a life without the pain I was in before I had the replacement surgery.

So, my advice to anyone who is in a similar boat is to forge ahead and get it done - it will make a huge difference.