Robert Lindstedt, 48, is a Swedish former professional tennis player with an illustrious career that saw him reach a career-high doubles ranking of world number three and win the title of Australian Open Grand Slam doubles champion alongside his partner Łukasz Kubot. Since retiring from playing, Robert has turned his attention to coaching and he has helped some of the biggest names in international tennis climb up the ranks. Whilst he may not be taking to the courts himself, coaching is still demanding on the body and staying active is not just a lifestyle choice, it is a necessity, and something that has become increasingly difficult.
I wake up and feel like I don’t have to worry about if I put my foot at the wrong angle is my knee going to hurt, but no I’m skipping up and down stairs, it’s unbelievable!
The pain started gradually but soon became debilitating, Robert recalls walking to a supermarket and after two minutes he had to stop, he remembers thinking ‘what is this, this pain is really not normal, I can’t do this.’ As a former athlete he is hyper aware of his body and says that a real sign is when you have resting pain – he remembers lying down and not being able to straighten his legs as well as waking up from the pain when sleeping.
He quickly sought a diagnosis and after MRI testing, he was diagnosed with knee osteoarthritis, immediately he was told he would need a knee replacement. He tried other conventional treatments including hyaluronic acid injection, but none had any major impact. Desperate to avoid surgery it was through a player he was coaching at Wimbledon who had links to Arthrosamid® that he heard about the innovative hydrogel injection that could provide a longer-term solution to treating knee osteoarthritis.
Robert was invited to Pure Sports Medicine by Dr. Kush Joshi, a dedicated Sports and Exercise medicine Consultant, who administered the treatment in a smooth process that happened in a matter of minutes. Like any athlete he was keen to get back on the court, but he was patient with his rehabbing and in three months started to notice a difference to the point now where he said: “I wake up and feel like I don’t have to worry about if I put my foot at the wrong angle is my knee going to hurt, but no I’m skipping up and down stairs, it’s unbelievable!”
Post-treatment, Robert is back on the tennis tour cycle, travelling to the major tournaments and grand slams across the world. He’s back involved in tennis and is coaching some of the best athletes in the world all thanks to the treatment he received from Dr. Joshi. In his interactions with players and coaches, Robert has been sharing his enthusiasm for Arthrosamid® and is passionate about raising awareness for those who might be facing the prospect of knee replacement surgery. He would tell any current or former athlete “other options exist before knee replacement surgery, try Arthrosamid® first.”
