Steve Perry, who is a carpenter by trade, was struggling to work due to pain in his right knee. Discover how Steve’s knee arthroscopy, performed by Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon, Mr Raman Thakur, helped him return to his trade after only one month.
Why did you choose Benenden Hospital?
“I chose to book an initial consultation with Benenden Hospital because I’ve been a member of Benenden Health for nearly 20 years. I was 17 when I joined and I live in Ashford which isn’t far from the hospital. These factors made my decision an easy one.
“Due to my carpentry business, SP Bespoke Limited, I’m on and off my knees for most of the working day. I’d been suffering with an arthritic-type of ache and pain in my right knee, so I booked an appointment with my GP because it was affecting my ability to work. I also noticed my general wellbeing was declining due to my knee discomfort.”
Steve's knee arthroscopy at Benenden Hospital
Hi, my name is Steve Perry. I'm a carpenter by trade. I had keyhole surgery on my right knee due to, obviously, my carpentry trade because I've been a member with Benenden for nearly 20 years now. I was 17 when I joined Benenden. I'm nearly 40 now. So, I've had previous surgery with Benenden. I live in Ashford, Kent. So, not very far from the hospital itself.
Due to my trade, I'm on and off my knees a predominant amount of time. So I've been suffering with my right knee, arthritic sort of pain, for quite some time. I got referred from my GP to come to Benenden. It was, you know, general well-being of my knee. It was getting difficult to work with my sort of arthritic pain. So I came to Benenden to get that sorted out.
Consultation was in September. I had my surgery on the 10th of December. So it was quite a short time before I was due to have my surgery on the NHS waiting list. I'd waited two years previous to come in in September to get my initial consultation. So yeah, it was a much shorter time coming to get it done privately with Benenden than it was to wait.
I saw Doctor Thakur. From the first consultation that I saw him, he was very, very friendly, spoke to me a lot about the procedure that he was going to carry out. The service from the staff down to my consultation with Dr. Thakur, genuinely, it was great. You know, the service here, the hospital, the facilities are second to none.
Obviously coming privately has been beneficial to me. I was able to get back to work a lot quicker. My recovery time was very quick. They said sort of 4 to 8 weeks and within sort of 3.5 weeks, as you can see, I'm back to work already. So, the well-being of the staff here, the advice that I was given, was definitely beneficial to me from my initial consultation back in September to my operation in December.
I was recommended by Dr. Thakur to have an MRI scan to check my knee to see how, obviously, what was happening basically. I had a tear on the left side of my cartilage and the right side was badly worn. So they recommended that surgery was really the only sort of best option long term for me without having to have my knee replaced.
I remember when I first came here nearly 20 years ago, the facilities have definitely come on leaps and bounds. The surroundings here, it's always quiet. There's hardly many people here when I do come here and you're able to be seen very quickly. They've all got, you know, on-site cafe, you know, the facilities here, if you're able to be seen same day you can get your scans or a CT, MRI all of that's in the house. So it's very sort of beneficial for you to be able to get everything done without having to go to another hospital and come back to here.
Yeah, generally, I couldn't recommend the service enough. I've been able to get back to work very quickly and the recovery time has been very quick for me. So I can't fault it. It's been beneficial for me to come here to have my surgery done. So I've recommended it. I've got plumbers, electricians that are friends of mine. So I've recommended them to come to Benenden. I've got my mum and dad on my membership. I've also just added my wife and my daughter onto my membership. So I've recommended them to family and friends.
What happened during your treatment?
“My GP referred me to Benenden Hospital as it made sense for me to come here for further investigation. I had my initial consultation with Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon, Mr Raman Thakur, in September 2022. From the first appointment he was very friendly and gave me lots of information and advice.
“I was recommended by Mr Thakur to have an MRI scan at the hospital to diagnose the problem with my knee. I had this scan in the on-site diagnostic imaging suite at Benenden Hospital only a week after my initial consultation. He explained the results to me thoroughly in layman’s terms. I had a tear on the left side of my right knee cartilage and the right side was badly worn.
“Mr Thakur explained that arthroscopy of my knee was the only treatment possible to recover from this level of damage. An arthroscopy is essentially a form of laparoscopic (keyhole) surgery used to explore and treat conditions within your joints. It is also a great preventative procedure, as I hopefully won’t need a total knee replacement in the future.”
“I had my knee arthroscopy surgery on 10 December, only a few months after my first appointment, which is a very short waiting time.”
How were the staff and facilities?
“My patient journey was excellent. The care and attention given to me by staff, and particularly by my Consultant, was supportive and informative. The medical facilities at Benenden Hospital are second to none.
“I remember when I came here almost 20 years ago and it inspired me to join Benenden Health for discounts on procedures. Since then, the hospital has undergone a refurbishment and the facilities have come on in leaps and bounds. It's in a lovely corner of the Kent countryside and the surroundings are quiet and calm. You get seen for your appointment very quickly and there’s a lovely café too, which helps! If you need a test or scan for a diagnosis, it can even be done on the same day, without having to come back to Benenden Hospital or go elsewhere. All the facilities are easy to access on-site.”
How long did it take to recover?
“It's been almost a month since my arthroscopy and my wellbeing has improved so much. Accessing treatment privately was very beneficial for me to get back to my carpentry business quickly. Mr Thakur advised my recovery time would be between four to eight weeks but after only three and a half weeks, I was back to work. I have much sturdier knee pads now, so my carpentry is painless! I really can’t fault the service here. I’ve added my parents, wife and daughter to my membership too.
What's your advice to tradespeople
“As a result of my amazing patient success story, I’ve recommended Benenden Hospital to my friends who are also tradesmen. Whether you’re a plumber, electrician, builder or carpenter like myself, other tradesmen can benefit from getting any health problems treated at this local private hospital. I wouldn’t have chosen anywhere else to have my surgery.”
You can find out more about our treatments for work-related injuries on our hub.
Book a knee pain consultation
You can book your knee pain consultation with one of our experienced Orthopaedic Surgeons using our online booking tool or by calling our Private Patient team on 01580 363158.
If you have any questions regarding the options available for knee pain, including Arthrosamid® injections, physiotherapy or surgery, please contact us using our online enquiry form or via Livechat.
Published on 08 November 2024