George, who is 15 years old, partially dislocated his kneecap in rugby training when a side-on tackle caught him unawares.

He was referred by a surgeon to see Professor Adrian Wilson.

Professor Wilson said: “As a first-time incident we treated it non-operatively and George initially did very well and I did not see him again for six months. He got back to playing rugby at a very high level and has aspirations of being a professional rugby player in the future.”

George then competed in athletics at school. On landing during a long jump, he partially dislocated his kneecap again which caused him significant pain. There was no chondral (joint cartilage) damage and the kneecap went back into place automatically.

As this was a second knee injury in a relatively short period of time Adrian decided to do a medial patella-femoral ligament (MPFL) reconstruction which is a procedure used to correct serious and recurring dislocation of the kneecap. George did well following the procedure and gained full movement and good control within a matter of weeks.

George’s father, Steve, said: “Our hopes are that George will make a full recovery and carry on playing rugby to an elite level. So far the signs are incredible.”

“If your son or daughter is in acute pain or feels their knee is unstable and just not right – which were George’s words – then the decision is already made for you. However the rehab and physiotherapy must be full on and 100% dedication is needed. And then anything is possible,” added Steve.