When taking part in sports any serious injury can mean years of pain and operations, and the issue in some cases is never resolved. Paul Wilmot injured his knee when he was younger and it was prone to flaring up. Due to this recurring injury, Paul thought he would never be able to take part in his beloved sport of skiing again, and miss the exhilaration of hitting the slopes.
For Paul, simple tasks like cutting the grass and even walking for any length of time would leave his knee swollen and incredibly painful. His knee would become so inflamed that it was unable to withstand any kind of pressure applied to it. Both Paul’s favorite sport pastimes, cycling and skiing were no longer manageable without it inducing pain.
With thanks to Richard Carrington, who is the orthopaedic surgeon at the Spire Bushey Hospital in Hertfordshire UK, Paul was fitted with a 3D printed knee replacement.
The procedure has been available in the UK and Europe for around four years, but only possible through private medical centres.
For the replacement knee joint to be created an initial CT scan has to take place and a 3D image captured. Specialists are then able to design and custom create a 3D printed knee joint because of the CT scanning process. The great news about Paul’s 3D printed knee joint is that it should last him around 15 years, and allows him a wider range of pain free movement in his knee.
Paul’s life has been changed for the better and all because the specialists dealing with his surgery used innovative 3D printing techniques in an effort to find a solution to a problem that had been plaguing his life for many years.
Since Paul has undergone surgery he has been able to take part in skiing, and not only that, but cycling and swimming and all pain free.