Richard Johnson had been climbing mountains for over 60 years but started to experience severe knee pain and limited mobility following two severe twists whilst winter mountaineering, stopping him from continuing with the hobby he enjoyed.

After living with severe knee pain and limited mobility for several years that severely impacted his daily life, Richard knew he could not endure the expected wait times to be cared for in the NHS. Deciding to use his private health cover, Richard researched his options for knee-replacement surgery and decided that Mr James Arbuthnot, an Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgeon at Sutton Coldfield’s Spire Little Aston Hospital, is someone he’d like to speak with.

After having all available treatment options, as well as the benefits and risks of each type of surgery fully explained by Mr Arbuthnot, Richard chose Mako robotic-assisted knee replacement surgery. Mako robotic-assisted surgeries offer patients numerous benefits over traditional joint replacement surgeries, including an increased level of surgical precision which leads to faster recovery times and reduced pain. The use of Mako during an operation helps the surgeon to minimise the trauma to the hip or knee, whilst preserving the maximum amount of healthy tissue.