Rochelle was involved in a road traffic accident and was hit by a car whilst crossing a roundabout on her bike. She broke her left leg and damaged her right knee.

After some rehabilitation with a physiotherapist, they strongly advised Rochelle that she seek another opinion as she was unable to walk properly and was in severe pain. Her initial knee surgeon advised Rochelle that her injuries were very complex so he referred her to Professor Adrian Wilson as a specialist in the field.

Adrian identified that Rochelle had suffered a posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) injury and also a posterolateral corner (PLC) injury on the left knee and a dislocation of her right patellofemoral joint, sustaining some damage to the cartilage surface at the back of the kneecap. She therefore needed to undergo two procedures.

Rochelle says: “Professor Wilson was very honest in explaining the severity of my injuries. He advised that my left knee in particular is always going to be problematic. It is a “bad” knee, however he was able to offer to fix parts of my knees. He recommended a new PLC and PCL ligament of the left knee and a knee brace for a period of time to reinforce the new PCL. He recommended arthroscopy and chondroplasty of both knees. I also needed to have MPFL surgery of my right knee cap.”

Adrian carried out an allograft PCL reconstruction using his pioneering technique which involves reinforcing the PCL with FiberTape. This is known as the ‘internal brace’ procedure or internal brace reconstruction. He also carried out a reconstruction posterolateral corner on the left using a technique which Adrian has pioneered using FiberTape.

Adrian explains: “I used to carry out this procedure using a large incision on the side of the knee, but now I have moved to a minimally invasive technique. As a result, patients are recovering much quicker and again getting really excellent results.”

He explains the outcome of Rochelle’s operation: “Rochelle really had had quite significant symptoms in terms of instability and pain on the left side, and it was great today that she came through to me saying that the left knee pretty much felt normal again. She is a very fit lady and really enjoys her sport and running, and prior to the surgery she was in extreme pain, had extreme instability and was struggling to walk. Now she has regained a full range of motion and has a very stable knee.”