Knee replacement surgery allows ex-professional surfer to get back on the board

Living an active lifestyle has always been important to 73-year-old Yallingup resident and former professional surfer, Barry Young. However, the onset of osteoarthritis in both knees resulted in stiffness and instability, impacting his ability to do the one thing he loved most, surfing.

30 Sep 2020

In January this year, Barry underwent a bilateral total knee replacement at St John of God Subiaco Hospital.

The surgery was performed by utilising personalised functional alignment, with the assistance of the robotic technology and its associated three dimensional planning.

Commenting on the procedure, Barry said he was pleasantly surprised by how quickly he recovered. “By the three month mark, I was able to get back into the surf. While I was a little wobbly at first, it was amazing that I felt strong enough to get back into it so quickly.”

“A month later, I was back to my normal self again. It was such a relief to be on my surfboard and enjoying my passion,” he said.

St John of God Subiaco surgeons are heavily involved in the application of robotic technology to assessing knee replacement surgery.

This allows precise execution of different techniques and alignment philosophies to provide accurate data from these surgeries for analysis.

The research being undertaken at St John of God Subiaco Hospital is contributing to worldwide efforts to improve knee replacement outcomes through data science and analysis.

The Mako robotic system allows analysis of an individual's anatomy and also their soft tissue balance.

St John of God Subiaco Hospital’s commitment to this research and advancing technology in knee replacement has led to the recent purchase of a second Mako robotic arm system.

The hospital and its surgeon scientists continue to look to optimise outcomes so more patients enjoy the best possible outcomes from this life changing surgery.

Find more information about orthopaedic surgery at St John of God Subiaco Hospital.