Running Into Recovery: Former GB Athlete Allison Curbishley Talks About Her Quest to Regain Her Mobility and Reduce the Pain & Discomfort of Knee Osteoarthritis
As a former British athlete, competing primarily in the 400m in all major championships across the world, Allison Curbishley is used to the benefits of a high level of physical fitness, strength and mobility. Allison was interested in sport from a young age, reaching county standard in netball and hockey, before specialising in athletics. Despite achieving some incredible sporting highs competing at World and Olympic Games and winning medals at the Commonwealths and European Championships, unfortunately Allison’s career was hampered by escalating knee problems. In fact, despite her knee being operated ten times, this series of knee injuries finally led her to retirement in 2003.
Allison now works in broadcasting for the BBC, as well as owning and running an events company, and lives in Northumberland with her partner, former Olympic great and renowned commentator Steve Cram. Allison has a degree in Sport and Exercise Sciences from the University of Birmingham.
Since retiring, Allison has remained fit and active, as well as extremely busy professionally, but has needed to moderate exercise to accommodate limited mobility and pain caused by her former knee injuries. Running regularly or for longer distances has proven difficult, but Allison is able to cycle.
Allison met physiotherapist Paul Hobrough over ten years ago, when he relocated to the North East. She was introduced to him by some of the athletes Paul treated in his London clinic and has been seeing him ever since for treatment to ease the discomfort and pain associated with knee osteoarthritis (OA) caused in part by the former knee injuries.
Allison comments, “Whilst the physio sessions do help to ward off discomfort and increase my mobility after each treatment, in recent years I have found that the pain caused by my knee osteoarthritis is starting to significantly impact my day-to-day life. I’m on my feet and “on the go” all the time for my work in media and broadcasting, covering major athletic championships across the world as well as working on our own running events. However, more and more, I deal with pain on a day-to-day basis, which negatively impacts my mobility, my sleep and, frankly, my mood! So, when Paul mentioned a treatment that is clinically-proven to provide long-lasting pain relief from knee OA without the need for surgery1- I leapt at the chance (metaphorically!).”
I had treatment with Arthrosamid® six months ago now (11th July 2024)– it’s a simple, single hydrogel injection, performed quickly (15 minutes) and without pain in Paul’s clinic. I only felt a slight discomfort at the site of injection itself but was then able to bend my knee to a decent degree and was back at home recovering the same day. The slight swelling came down after a couple of days with some anti-inflammatories, and I was able to walk around all day with no pain. In under a week, I was sleeping well, with much improved knee flexion, greater range of movement and I was feeling the “fire” back in my quads.
“Immediately after the procedure in early July 2024, during a busy work period (including covering the Paris Olympics) I did experience some minor swelling, but following some rest, I’m now living pain-free for the first time in many years. Since the injection, functionally I’m in a really great place and I’ve even managed a couple of runs, including a Park Run, which I would never have considered over the last few years. It’s great to be able to move with such freedom again and not have the stiffness and pain I was so used to in the knee joint. The restriction in movement that I’ve experienced over the years is almost a distant memory. I know that strengthening the knee is vital and that’s something that I want to focus on this year, to ensure that I continue to feel the benefits of the treatment. Contura Orthopaedics has developed an online rehab programme with exercises to strengthen the muscles and support joints around the knee that you can do at the gym or at home – so my priority is to make time to add this to my current fitness regime.”
Paul Hobrough, a physiotherapist who has treated some of the biggest names in British sport comments, “I’ve been working with Allison and Steve for many years and so I’m aware of the impact that knee osteoarthritis has on Allison’s life. She works extremely hard to maintain her fitness but this has become increasingly limited by knee pain.
I’ve treated patients with Arthrosamid® and have seen them experience significant reductions in pain, as well as improvements in their mobility, and overall quality of life, so I was confident that Allison was an ideal candidate. In contrast to other treatments, Arthrosamid® appears to be offering patients longer-lasting respite from the pain and immobility of knee osteoarthritis and, in many cases, avoiding or delaying the need for surgery. I believe it’s setting a real benchmark in the area of orthopaedics, offering hope and optimism to many of those living with this condition.
“At Allison’s 6-month check-up, I found that her mobility was greatly improved and she reported no side-effects and a virtually pain-free daily life. In short, I’m delighted with her progress. Knee osteoarthritis can’t be cured but with Allison’s long-term commitment to exercise, she has a better chance of living a more active lifestyle and should be able to feel the benefits of treatment for years to come. In fact, studies show that the long-lasting reduction in knee OA pain from treatment with Arthrosamid® can be felt even three to four years post treatment1-2.”
1.Bliddal, H., et al. (2024) A Prospective Study of Polyacrylamide Hydrogel Injection for Knee Osteoarthritis: Results From 4 Years After Treatment. Presented at EORS 2024.
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. Poster LB-31, OARSI 2024 World Congress on Osteoarthritis.
