We’re delighted to announce that ex-Olympic swimmer, world-renowned broadcaster and former Gladiator, Sharron Davies MBE has joined Contura Orthopaedics as an Ambassador for Arthrosamid®.
“If you’ve got knee osteoarthritis, it can be tough – and I would urge everyone to try to get the right help for them. Get it properly looked at, and properly diagnosed, with an expert who can tell you what you can do, not what you can’t! For me, seeing a physiotherapist and then a specialist orthopaedic consultant was revolutionary. I had further investigations via an MRI, and luckily I was eligible for Arthrosamid® - it’s been an absolute game changer and it’s still keeping me on my feet today.”
In recent years, former Olympic medallist and broadcast stalwart Sharron Davies has become an inspiration to the millions of people in the UK suffering knee osteoarthritis. Following years of suffering with knee pain, caused by a series of injuries, Sharron was treated with the “game-changing” hydrogel injection, Arthrosamid® in September 2022. Since then, Sharron has been championing the need for more alternatives to surgery and has become an advocate for this minimally-invasive treatment. Now, three years on, Sharron is doing well and continues on her road to recovery.
“It’s been three years now since I had an Arthrosamid® injection in my right knee – and it’s still working and I’m really pleased with the results. I’ve just had by 63rd birthday and I’m feeling pretty good! I’ve got two young grandkids, and they’re great fun. Spending time with them is one of the things that I love to do. And now, having a knee that works this well, I’m still able to be super active with them. There are lots of crazy things I want to do in my life – I’ve got a bucket list! I’ve been lucky enough to be really active, and I still want to be able to do those all things like jumping out of planes, skiing, maybe a Bungee, waterskiing, scuba diving or just jumping on my bike and doing 30 miles! I’m a “doing” kind of person, and I would be devasted if injury stopped me from doing that, so I’m hugely grateful I’ve found a treatment that enables me to life live to the full.
“There’s actually not much that I really want to do now that I don’t do! I love to get out on my bike – especially in the summer, when the weather’s nice, otherwise, in the Winter I use a static bike. I go swimming occasionally, but it’s a bit of a busman’s holiday having trained for 6 hours every day for 20 years! Doing the things that make you happy is important for anyone’s health – but it’s especially true when you’re overcoming the challenges that a condition like knee osteoarthritis presents. If you can’t take your dogs out or play with the grandchildren or bend down when you’re gardening, that can be really miserable. That loss of independence and freedom of movement can be heartbreaking.”
“The pain in my knees was stopping me from doing the things I loved to do. It was really starting to “invade” my life. When I was walking down the stairs, or trying to get off to sleep, I could feel my knee aching. I found it really wearing (particularly at night-time) – that horrible arthritic pain that sort of throbs. The knee would swell up and get really uncomfortable. Then, I would start to hobble a bit and develop backache – I felt totally out of alignment. It started to affect me day-to-day – I’d meet friends for a cup of coffee and to walk the dogs and I wouldn’t be able to go anywhere nearly as far as they could. It’s these little things, that can actually have quite a big impact on your life and change how you feel about yourself. For someone who’s always been so fit, it was really frustrating – and was starting to get me down.”
Given her sporting career and her life-long love of fitness, Sharron is also passionate about helping people to find ways to improve mobility and maintain overall good health and fitness levels.
Sharron says, “I’m a great believer in a combined approach of having the right treatment but also the personal discipline to make the right lifestyle choices to support your health, including eating good foods, going to the gym and generally staying healthy. Exercise is central to my life and always has been. Keeping moving and being active means that I can run around after the grandkids and enjoy long walks with the dogs. Every other day I try to get to the gym –but like everyone, it depends on how busy I am and what’s happening with work!
“My routine is usually half an hour of cardiovascular (either the bike or the cross trainer) and then I do a number of exercise weight machines to work on leg, upper body and core strength. I’m a big believer in having a strong core! Strengthening the muscles around the knee is particularly important as part of rehabilitation post-treatment with Arthrosamid®.
“I always tell people that the secret with exercise is to not make it a punishment – try to find something that you enjoy or something to make you enjoy it – for example, stick on a TV programme, a podcast or your favourite music. I also try not to eat late – I very rarely eat after 6 o’clock in the evening. I don’t drink very much alcohol – and never have done! Basically, I’m not “mad” about anything – I really believe in the benefits of that “middle territory” to maintain a healthy, balanced lifestyle. I don’t deny myself – if it’s a special occasion and I want to go out for a meal, then I will (and won’t feel guilty!). It’s all about balance. I do think it’s important to listen to your body and get enough rest. I think we also underestimate how important sleep is to our recovery.
“If you’ve got knee osteoarthritis, it can be tough – and I would urge everyone to try to get the right help for them. Get it properly looked at, and properly diagnosed, with an expert who can tell you what you can do, not what you can’t! For me, seeing a physiotherapist and then a specialist orthopaedic consultant was revolutionary. I had further investigations via an MRI, and luckily I was eligible for Arthrosamid® - it’s been an absolute game changer and it’s still keeping me on my feet today.”
