Sheena

I was suffering from pain in my right knee which was followed by similar pain in the left knee. The pain gradually worsened and was quite debilitating – on a bad day I was in constant pain and movement was restricted at times. On a good day I was mobile but always in pain, which also made sleeping difficult.

My GP prescribed a course of naproxen, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, which had little effect, so I requested a referral. I met with an orthopaedic consultant and following an MRI, I was advised that I had severe grade 4 osteoarthritis and both knees needed replacing.

Due to the impact it was having on my quality of life, I was not prepared to wait until the condition was agonising before having a knee replacement, as suggested by the consultant. I was also not keen to undergo this surgery after what I had heard from acquaintances who had had knee replacements.

After careful research and having viewed a number of alternatives to knee replacement I considered the research data adequate to consider Lipogems®. I was not concerned about the procedure and believed it worthy of trying, especially after my first consultation. My view was that even if it helped for a few years it’d be worth it. A knee replacement needs to be redone after a period of time and my age meant I’d likely to have had to undergo this major surgery twice.

Having had the Lipogems® procedure, I progressed very well immediately and only when I suffered a fall followed by a broken foot did I experience some pain – but not to the degree it was before the procedure. As a result of these injuries I did have a flare up in both knees but by careful management and knowing what the trigger points are to cause pain I have moved through this short phase and am now making significant progress again.

Since the Lipogems® treatment I can enjoy life with little or no pain, walk freely without pain, undertake exercise that’s good for supporting and strengthening knees and I have a better quality of sleep.

I would advise patients with similar problems to review and consider this procedure – it’s straightforward and simple and takes a few hours with no side or after effects. Weigh it up against major surgery of having a knee replacement which means you will have a degree of suffering after the operation, need to take strong pain relief for a period and consider the time it takes to heal with physiotherapy afterwards.

With Lipogems® you are using your own body cells to promote healing and it’s not invasive. It transforms a serious medical condition into one which can be treated as a minor procedure in a few hours and if you’re a female a nice tummy tuck into the bargain! You enjoy life again!