A consultant gives hope

Today I travelled down to south Manchester to see a consultant knee surgeon, Mr. Bilal Barkatali, on the recommendation of Jamie at Jam Physio.

The waiting room at the OrthTeamCentre is clean and modern, and the staff are friendly. I didn’t wait long for my appointment and was soon explaining my injury.

Mr. Barkatali is warm and friendly with a positive, relaxed vibe. I felt at ease and he quickly understood my surgery history, the injury, and my desire to get back to sports.

On the examination table, we went through the same physical exams as the physio. The conclusion was the same as my physio Matthew – some meniscus damage and the ACL feels intact, but loose.

As I mentioned in the previous post, ACL reconstructions from a hamstring graft can stretch with age. It has been 16+ years since the reconstruction of this knee.

Mr. Barkatali was positive and emphasised that he would want to avoid surgery if at all possible. Even with some meniscus damage, giving it a chance to heal on it’s own first is usually the best option. The laxity in the ACL is not necessarily a concern if the knee is not unstable.

We chatted about kitesurfing and other sports, and I felt that strong passion coming back. I will really miss it if I have to take some time out, but it will be a strong goal to work towards.

The next step is an MRI scan and they tried to squeeze me in today, but it looks like I will have to go back tomorrow.

I left cautiously optimistic and a little bit lighter than when I arrived.