Camberley man heaps praise on hospital following life changing hip replacement
James Foster, 50 from Camberley has nothing but praise for The Princess Margaret Hospital in Windsor following the success of his hip replacement surgery that took place in November. The sales director had been experiencing intermittent pain in his hip for a considerable amount of time. Following a lengthy diagnosis, it was discovered that a birth defect had warn away the cartilage in his joint, a cyst had developed leaving him in considerable distress.
“I had been experiencing intermittent hip pain for some considerable time,” James explained.
“At first, I thought the intermittent nature of the pain was caused by tight hip-flexors brought on by my job which involves a lot of sitting down. I could not walk more than 50m without being in severe pain. I live quite an active lifestyle so walking and running caused a lot of discomfort,” James added.
Concerned that his condition was getting worse, James began looking for answers and at first tried stretching and eventually physiotherapy, but with little improvement.
“I did a lot of stretching at first and that initially helped relive the pain but over time the pain worsened. I then tried physio sessions, but again the pain didn’t subside,” James said.
James visited his GP and following that appointment, concerned that his condition would continue to deteriorate, James got in touch with his health insurance provider, Vitality, who arranged for him to see specialist orthopaedic consultant Mr Evangelos Tsialogiannis at The Princess Margaret Hospital, part of Circle Health Group in Windsor.
“I was told that the cause of my pain was in fact a birth defect that meant that the ball part of my hip join was not spherical, which meant that over time the cartilage in my hip had worn away, developing a cyst. This explained why the pain was intermittent. Strangely I only felt the pain when walking or running, cycling, rowing and swimming didn’t cause me any discomfort,” James explained.
Mr Evangelos knew straight away that James would need a hip replacement.
“Minimally invasive hip replacement is defined by what we preserve, not what we cut. The SPAIRE approach advances posterior hip surgery through targeted soft-tissue sparing and enhanced early stability. This evolution reflects our commitment to safer surgery, faster recovery, and uncompromised outcomes”, Mr Tsialogiannis explained.
Commenting on his first meeting with Mr Evangelos Tsialogiannis, James said: “I had massively underestimated how much damage had been done to my hip. Mr Evangelos was extremely helpful and the time he spent explaining my condition and eventually what the surgery involved was invaluable. I came away from each of our meetings confident and assured that the surgery was the right option for me.”
From his first consultation with Mr Tsialogiannis, to arriving at the hospital on the day of his surgery, James had only had to wait a short amount of time. The surgery took place on 27th November and following one night in hospital; James was back home in Camberley ready to begin his recovery.
When asked to describe his experience at The Princess Margaret Hospital, James said: “All the staff were great, they were always available when needed and I was always informed about what was going on at all times. I really couldn’t have asked for more.”
He went onto say, “I hadn’t fully realised the impact the surgery would have on my muscles and the stiffness post-surgery. The pain was more than I expected but I was looked after really well.”
Following his surgery, James began a course of physiotherapy which was specially designed to aid his recovery. It was tough but James explained that the benefits outweighed everything.
“I have worked very hard to recover. I followed the advice given to me by Mr Tsialogiannis and the physios to the letter and I saw the results quickly. I was given so much support, and the team were always there to ensure that I kept on the right track. I am still in the muscle rebuilding and flexibility phase of my recovery, but I am very pleased I decided to have the surgery.”
Now 4 months on from his surgery, James is feeling incredibly positive about the future.
“Before my surgery I couldn’t walk further than 50m without being in pain. Now I am regularly walking the dog 5 miles. The new hip is great, and I was pain free almost instantly. It has improved my quality of life hugely.”
When asked what advice he would give to someone who was experiencing the same discomfort, James said: “Have the operation. The downsides are far outweighed by the new lease of life you will experience. I know my new hip will last for the rest of my life and I can now live pain free, living the healthy and active life that I want. I can walk my dog now as far as I want when I want. It’s changed my life.”