'My knee feels fantastic right now'

Ashley French,from north London, decidedto go ahead with an arthroscopy after he noticed something was wrong with his knee. He hasn't looked back since.

I did a lot of kickboxing and football, so I suppose it wasnt surprising that my knee started to play up. It wasnt exactly sore, but it used to lock when I sat down. I could also feel some floating lumps around the kneecap, which, if I pressed them, would disappear into the joint. It was more uncomfortable than sore, but trying to straighten my locked knee did feel painful.

I went to my GP, who sent me to Old Church Hospital in Romford. They took some X-rays, which showed that a piece of bone had broken away from my kneecap and this was causing my knee to lock.

The consultant suggested I have an arthroscopy, and after being talked through the procedure, I decided to go ahead. It seemed so much quicker and easier than open surgery. I was on the waiting list for a month. The operation was undergeneral anaesthetic and I stayed overnight in the hospital. When I came round from the anaesthetic, I was a bit sore and drowsy, but it wasnt long before I felt like myself again.

I was on crutches for a week or so and had to go back to the hospital for physiotherapy once a week for three weeks. They gave me some exercises to do at home and I was back boxing and playing football after a month.

The operation was a few years ago now and I have never had any problems since. I would advise anyone to have an arthroscopy. There is nothing to worry about and my knee feels fantastic now.