Physio told octogenarian that gym sessions helped speed his recovery from orthopaedic surgery

An 80-year-old patient who is keen to get back to gym received a partial knee replacement on the day when a significant milestone was reached at NHS Golden Jubilee University National Hospital.

A team operated on John Wishart, who comes from Houston in Renfrewshire, with the aid of a Stryker Mako robot on 2 December – the day when the 1,000th robotic orthopaedic joint replacement was completed at Golden Jubilee.

Mr Wishart, who is looking forward to enjoying a pain-free Christmas after a ‘horrendous’ couple of years, said: ‘I did a lot of exercise in the gym with a lot of cardio work to prepare for my operation and the physiotherapist has told me that has really helped me post-op, because I don’t need a frame and can get around on sticks at the moment.'

He added: ‘Now that I’ve had this procedure at the Golden Jubilee, I’m looking forward to a full recovery and getting back to the gym.’

I did a lot of exercise in the gym with a lot of cardio work to prepare for my operation and the physiotherapist has told me that has really helped me post-op, because I don’t need a frame and can get around on sticks at the moment [John Wishart]

The orthopaedic team marked a first for Scotland in November 2019 when it used a Mako robot for routine total and partial knee replacement surgery, and has gone from strength to strength since. Robotic surgery offers greater implant accuracy, while reducing soft tissue damage and blood loss compared to traditional approaches. It also reduces the likelihood of patients requiring repeat joint replacements later on.

Consultant orthopaedic surgeon Christopher Gee said: ‘It's a huge delight to see that we've reached the 1,000th patient milestone and this is an accomplishment of which we should all be very proud. With this increased accuracy and improved outcomes associated with robotic surgery, the hope is that the joint only needs to be replaced once in a patient’s lifetime.'

He added: ‘While there is of course always the potential of needing further surgery in the future, with this pioneering technology becoming more common and popular among patients, our aim is that this translates to long term and widespread improved quality of life for patients across Scotland.'

The Golden Jubilee University National Hospital, which treats patients from across Scotland, is based in Clydebank. One of Europe’s largest elective orthopaedic centres, it carried out about one in three of the elective hip and knee replacements in NHS Scotland in 2021-2022.

Medical director Mark MacGregor said: ‘We now have five robots as part of our robotics programme here at NHS Golden Jubilee for orthopaedics, lung cancer, colorectal and other procedures.'

Dr MacGregor added: ‘By collaborating with health boards from all across the NHSScotland, this not only has huge benefits for patients all around the country, but is providing vital support to help tackle waiting lists both now and in the future.’