Knee surgery in Suffolk

At the St Edmunds Hospital in Suffolk, we offer fast access to dedicated orthopaedic care within a safe and comfortable hospital environment. With an extensive network of Consultants to choose from, as well as an easy online booking system and out-of-hours service, we're here to help you manage your pain as quickly and effectively as possible.

St Edmunds Hospital is located on the beautiful St. Mary's Square, just across from the Greene King Brewery in Bury St Edmunds. People visit us from Newmarket, Diss, Sudbury, Thetford, Woolpit and Mildenhall. We also see patients from Hadleigh, Stowmarket, Ely and Haverhill. If you’re living in one of these areas and looking for a private hospital near you, our team is ready and waiting to help you.

Our knee surgeons at the St Edmunds Hospital are well-versed in dealing with a wealth of knee complaints, which can affect everyone from sportspeople to those who have suffered trauma.

Our goal is to help you feel better fast. Get in touch today and we can usually book your initial consultation within 48 hours. Our team will work to quickly diagnose the cause of your pain, before building a bespoke treatment plan based on your individual needs. 

Our specialist consultants run a hip and knee clinic at the hospital, where they spend around 50% of their time treating patients with knee problems. One of the most common conditions they see is knee arthritis, which becomes more common the older we get. Knee bursitis is another common complaint.

We also see a lot of patients with knee pain as a result of injury or overuse, whether in sports or just everyday life. For example, people might come to us with a torn anterior cruciate ligament, a torn meniscus, a fracture or dislocation, or a condition such as patella tendonitis or runner’s knee.

Occasionally, we see some patients who have a lot of pain in the knee, and they visit us thinking they have a knee problem. Then we X-ray them and examine the knee and find that the knee is fine.

When you X-ray the hip, it may show arthritis – and then when we examine the hip, they nearly jump off the examination couch. That’s something that when you’ve been a consultant for 20+ years, experience teaches you, says a key consultant within our team. 

A lot of patients in the east of England, either if they’ve been to see a GP or they have seen one of the physiotherapists on the muscular skeletal pathways within primary care, will have had an X-ray – certainly if they have an injury, they will have visited their local A&E dept. This will help exclude a fracture. 

Some GPs, in Norfolk for example (only 20 miles from where we work) may have better access to MRI scans, but these need to be recommended by a specialist.

During a consultation for hip pain, we will take a patient’s full medical history, as well as discuss any medication they are on. We will also ask them about their symptoms.

From there, we will try to make a diagnosis by examining the knee and/or sending the patient for further investigations, such as scans. Once we have a diagnosis, we will discuss together the best route forward, which may or may not be surgery.

Lifestyle changes

Unlike hip arthritis, knee arthritis patients will benefit from some weight loss. Losing even a small amount of weight can make a significant difference to the pressure that’s put on the knee joint, which in itself can relive a patient’s pain.

Injection therapy

One option for some patients with knee pain is injection pain relief. Under local anesthetic, a radiologist will inject steroids into the affected joint, which can ease swelling and pain and restore mobility in your hip.

A radiologist performs this procedure because they can use Imaging to make sure they put the injection in the right place, where it will be a lot more effective. This is better for the patient; the radiologist can localise it quite specifically.

Physiotherapy

For some patients, physiotherapy can be used instead of, or to delay the need for, knee replacement surgery.

We use a network of excellent local Physiotherapists; we cover an area of around 30-mile circumference, in the north, east, south, and west. Our patients generally want to be seen locally and we can normally point them in the right direction; we have worked with some of the local physiotherapists for many years.

Physiotherapy will also be needed after knee replacement surgery, and as well as our local network of great Physiotherapists, we also have an in-house team to treat patients staying with us.

Pain Specialists

For patients with complex medical conditions, where surgery may be higher risk, we can point them in the direction of a pain specialist, or a rheumatologist, for example.

An important role as an orthopaedic surgeon is to signpost people to the right professional, as surgery isn’t always the answer.

If your pain and stiffness do not respond well to less invasive methods such as painkillers or physiotherapy, knee surgery might be necessary. You might also be recommended knee surgery after an injury or accident to repair recent damage.

The most common knee operations we offer at the St Edmunds Hospital are:  

Knee replacement surgery ranging from £12,108 to £14,936*

Knee replacement surgery significantly reduces knee pain and improves mobility in your knee. Depending on the extent of damage inside your knee joint, you will be recommended either partial or total knee replacement surgery.

The knee joint comprises three main parts. If only one part of your knee is damaged, your Orthopaedic Surgeon may be able to perform a partial knee replacement. Just the damaged portion is removed, being replaced with an artificial component (also known as a prosthesis).

Total knee replacement is appropriate for people with damage to two or all of the three knee joint elements. During surgery, your Consultant will remove the damaged ends of your femur (thigh bone) and tibia (shin bone) and replace them with a prosthesis. The base of your patella (kneecap) might also be removed and replaced, but this will depend on the condition of your knee. 

Anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction surgery starting from £7,239*

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction surgery can repair or replace your torn ACL, which is a major ligament in your knee. ACL damage is often caused by an accident when playing sport. It’s a common knee injury among athletes such as footballers. ACL reconstruction helps reduce knee pain and restore function to your knee, allowing you to continue to live an active lifestyle and play the sport you love.

Knee arthroscopy starting from £4,327*

A knee arthroscopy is a form of keyhole surgery. It can diagnose and treat knee problems that cause chronic knee pain. During knee arthroscopy surgery, your Orthopaedic Consultant will insert an arthroscope (a thin tube with a camera attached to the end of it) through a small incision made in your knee. This will allow the Surgeon to examine the inside of your knee and confirm the cause of your pain. If you require treatment arthroscopically, your Orthopaedic Surgeon will make more incisions in your knee to insert surgical instruments and carry out the treatment during the same operation.

Knee cartilage repair surgery (with debridement) starting from £3,783*

This surgery is typically performed as a keyhole surgery (arthroscopy), wherein your Consultant will insert surgical instruments into your knee through small incisions around the joint.

During this procedure, which is sometimes referred to as arthroscopic debridement, your knee joint will be cleaned out and your Consultant will remove any deteriorated cartilage and tissue in your knee. They will also trim the edges of any damaged areas to make them smooth. The aim is to reduce your pain and improve your mobility.

*The prices that are shown above are only an estimate. The final cost of your knee treatment will always be confirmed in writing after your consultation. Further terms and conditions apply.

There are many reasons to choose the St Edmunds Hospital. These include:

World-class consultants

One of our consultants has been Fellowship-trained in knee surgery in Auckland, New Zealand, and our team has a wealth of experience in arthroscopic knee surgery and knee replacement.

We perform many knee arthroscopies and knee repair surgeries, and around 150 knee replacements each year.

Enhanced recovery programmes

After surgery, you will be mobilised by our nursing and physio team the same afternoon. As soon as you can get in and out of bed, go to the toilet and walk around, you will be discharged.

With this method, length of stay is generally only two days; the quicker you get up and are mobile, the less risk of thrombosis. Length of stay is reduced compared to NHS too. And you receive a more bespoke service, where your stay depends on your personal needs. We find that people don’t want to be in hospital any longer than they need to be.

Reduced waiting times

Patients who visit The St Edmunds Hospital can benefit from shorter waiting times and treatment, than if, for example, they were to wait for surgery on the NHS.

Flexible appointments

You can choose an appointment time to suit you and your schedule; in some cases, remote consultations will be offered.

Consultant-led appointments

Your appointment will be consultant-led, and you will see the same person each time – from your consultation, right through to any treatment needed.

Patient satisfaction and personalised care

In an independent survey* in 2020, 99% of our patients said they would recommend The St Edmunds Hospital.

*Results were compiled by healthcare agency, Quality Health.

When you choose to go private with the St Edmunds Hospital, you can expect:  

• Convenient, quality care within a safe and comfortable hospital environment 
• Fast access to the highest standards of clinical excellence 
• Private en-suite hospital rooms with access to Wi-Fi, and a TV
• The freedom to choose which hospital and Consultant suits your needs 
• Flexible payment options to spread the cost of your care 
• Consistent care with the same Consultant at every step of your journey 
• Support by a multidisciplinary team of experts, including Physiotherapists and Pain Management Specialists who can help you manage your pain effectively

We see patients within a 30-mile radius of Bury St Edmunds. Sometimes, they will come from further than that – for example, one previous patient came from as far away as Chelmsford. Word of mouth is important.

People are shopping around these days, especially if they are in terrible pain; they are trying to find the surgeon in the next city or county who is well known, but also who can treat them sooner than the surgeon within their area.

The conditions may not be life-threatening, but severe pain due to arthritis does affect your quality of life. Prompt surgery is key, and we see people from a host of local cities and towns, including Mendlesham, Rattlesden, Stanton, and many more.

Fast freedom from joint pain is closer than you think.

To book your initial consultation with us, call us on 01284 701371. Or, book online today.

Content reviewed by Circle in-house team in November 2021. Next review due November 2024.