Former athletes urged to join Contura Orthopaedics and Citius Health’s new Retired Athlete Programme to treat knee osteoarthritis
Today, Contura Orthopaedics (Contura), in conjunction with Citius Health (Citius), are launching a ground-breaking Retired Athlete Programme. The programme will deliver World-Leading Clinical Care to Retired High-Performance Athletes, providing them with a painless injection of Arthrosamid® used to treat knee osteoarthritis. This Doctor Lead service will then oversee their long-term rehabilitation and be the World’s Largest Study of Retired Athletes treated with Arthrosamid®.
In this pioneering agreement between Contura and Citius, more than 100 patients will receive the Arthrosamid® treatment, designed to relieve pain when suffering from knee osteoarthritis. The treatment is an innovative hydrogel that, upon injection, permanently combines with the knee’s synovial tissue, leading to decreased joint stiffness and improving the function of the knee4,5,6 so that Athletes can get back to what they love doing.
Several Former High-Performance Athletes have already begun treatment, including Ugo Monye, Rugby Player for the British & Irish Lions, England & Harlequins, as well as Nicky Ponsford, Red Rose & now Director of High Performance at World Rugby, who made history becoming the first woman to hold this prestigious position. The pioneering programme has been developed by Sports Medicine Consultant, Dr. George Bownes, Founder of Citius Health, who has worked extensively across High Performance Sport as Tournament Physician at Wimbledon, All England Championships, Club Doctor for the Harlequins Rugby Club & with Winter & Summer Olympics Athletes at the England Inisitiute of Sport (now the UK Sport Insititute). The Retired Athlete Programme is available to Athletes from a range of sports, including Rugby, Tennis, Cricket, Golf & Hockey.
As part of the programme starts with an MRI & includes baseline physical profiling as well as the use of recognised pain scoring questionnaires, which are repeated regularly to monitor their bespoke rehabilitation journey, which will be presented at a range of Sports Medicine & Othopaedic Conferences in due course.
Citius Health Founder, Dr George Bownes, said: “We’re thrilled to be partnering with Contura Orthopaedics to launch the Retired Athlete Programme to offer the pioneering Arthrosamid® injection alongside high-quality bespoke rehabilitation akin to that which the Athletes will have had during their playing days. This then becomes a reproducible model of care that will be open to all would want to lead an active lifestyle and delay or avoid the need for surgery. We encourage any Retired Athlete across Ruby, Cricket, Tennis, Golf & Hockey currently struggling with knee pain to get in touch.”
Retired British & Irish Lion, England & Harlequin Player & Retired Athlete Programme Ambassador, Ugo Monye, added: “I was struggling with swelling in my knee for a while, and it was causing issues with regular activities despite having lots of other injections like steroids. Since the injection and support from Dr George Bownes & the team at the Citius Retired Athlete Programme, I’ve been able to do more & actually I’m doing more lower body training in the gym than I did as a player. I’d recommend this treatment with Citius to anyone who is struggling with their knees.”
“I was struggling with swelling in my knee for a while, and it was causing issues with regular activities despite having lots of other injections like steroids. Since the injection and support from Dr George Bownes & the team at the Citius Retired Athlete Programme, I’ve been able to do more & actually I’m doing more lower body training in the gym than I did as a player. I’d recommend this treatment with Citius to anyone who is struggling with their knees.”
If you’re a retired athlete interested in this treatment, contact Dr George Bownes at Citius Health at george@citius.health to find out how to sign up and get back to moving more freely. For further information about accessing Arthrosamid® treatment go to Retired Athlete Programme - Arthrosamid®
Notes to editors
About Arthrosamid®
Arthrosamid® is a first in-class synovial implant delivered as a single, delivered as a single, minimally invasive outpatient procedure performed under local anaesthesia with ultrasound guidance.1 It provides significant reduction in knee OA pain over a longer period with one single treatment.2,3 Arthrosamid® integrates within the tissue lining of your knee joint, softening and increasing the elasticity of this tissue leading to clinically proven decreased joint stiffness and pain, and improved knee function.4,5,6
For any PR enquiries please contact: lizzie@matchfit.agency
References:
1.Arthrosamid®, Instructions For Use. Release Date March 2022. 10082-003.
2. Bliddal, H., et al. (2024) 3 year follow-up from a randomized controlled trial of intra-articular polyacrylamide hydrogel injection in subjects with knee osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis and Cartilage. Vol 32 (6): 770-771.
3. Bliddal, H., et al. (2025) A Prospective Study of Polyacrylamide Hydrogel Injection for Knee Osteoarthritis: Results From 5 Years After Treatment. Presented at WCO-IOF-ESCEO 2025.
4. Bliddal, H., et al. (2024). Polyacrylamide gel versus hyaluronic acid for the treatment of knee osteoarthritis: a randomised controlled study. Clin Exp Rheumatol. Vol 42(9):1729-1735.
5. Bliddal, H., et al. (2021) Polyacrylamide Hydrogel Injection for Knee Osteoarthritis: A 6 Months Prospective Study. J Orthop Res Ther. Vol 6 (2). 1188. ISSN 2575-8241
6. Henriksen, M., et al. (2018). Intra-articular 2.5% polyacrylamide hydrogel for the treatment of knee osteoarthritis: an observational proof-of-concept cohort study. Clin Exp Rheumatol. Vol 36(6):1082-85. Epub 2018 Jul 18. PMID: 30148430.
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Programme launched to help former hockey stars with knee osteoarthritis
