Karen’s ankle cartilage surgery
Karen tells of her ‘life-changing’ experience following a specialist cartilage procedure with Jason.
Karen Eckstein, 59, from Esholt in Bradford, was a keen ski tourer, hiker, runner, and horse rider until she started to experience an increasing amount of pain in her right ankle.
Because of the pain, in 2015 she stopped running and hiking and her activity levels reduced.
“I put on a lot of weight and began to resign myself to becoming an overweight middle-aged woman, instead of the fit athlete I used to be.”
Karen started to fear that her ski tour days were behind her, but thanks to surgery, she’s now back on the slopes, skiing uphill, and staying in remote mountain huts for a few days at a time. Something she’d started to think would never be possible again.
On average, Jason performs a MaioRegen surgery every month within his practice, receiving referrals from other Trusts and consultants in the surrounding area.
Prior to Karen having her operation at the Trust in October 2023, she had two microfracture surgeries to see if they would help, however, they didn’t work.
“At this stage, I was struggling to walk round my local supermarket.”
Life was tough and she started to accept that her active lifestyle was over. That is until she was seen Jason in his NHS clinic at the Mid Yorks Trust.
“I suggested Karen try the pioneering MaioRegen patch ankle surgery, as I was convinced it could make a difference for her. Despite her knowing the chances of success were not guaranteed, Karen agreed to give it a try”
The surgery uses MaioRegen equine patches (made with horse collagen) that fit into the ankle to reduce or remove pain.
The surgeon removes the damaged tissue first then inserts the equine patch, which is flexible and porous, into the ankle.
Karen’s surgery went well, and during her recovery she spent two weeks resting, limiting her mobility, and elevating her leg, before starting a rehabilitation exercise programme.
She said: “It was ‘tea, toast, and toilet for two weeks’ before I started my rehab. I was in a lot of pain doing the exercises and I would want to pass out or throw up, but I kept at it.”
Karen kept herself motivated by setting goals, such as being able to ski tour in the Arctic in April and hike the Tour de Mont Blanc in September.
It’s hard to believe that eight months on from surgery, she is now slowly building up her ski strength, and was able to ski for six hours on icy and powder runs in March, ahead of her schedule.
“I cried tears of joy when I was back in the serenity of the wilds. I couldn’t ski every day, but I could ski one day and then rest the next. I can’t believe it, and now I’m training for the Tour de Mont Blanc in September.”
A fantastic story to hear and we wish Karen the very best of luck with the skiing and ongoing recovery! If you have suffered ankle cartilage damage, perhaps having already had surgery that hasn’t solved the problem, or you’re experiencing any other foot and ankle issues that are stopping you live your full life, get in touch to arrange an appointment with Jason.