I struggled with stairs, now I've climbed the Alps

UK-FIRST HIP SURGERY ENDS YEARS OF PAIN

- SAM VOLPE

A WOMAN who struggled with hip pain for a decade has returned to the active lifestyle she prizes thanks to a first-of-its-kind surgical implant.

Sian Oakley, 58, was a competitive climber during her 20s and 30s - but by the time she was in her 40s her pain became so bad that she struggled with the stairs.

Sian, who is now a part-time teacher, underwent a hip resurfacing operation similar to that undertaken by tennis star Andy Murray.

And afterwards she was even able to get back to mountain climbing and summited Mont Blanc in the Alps.

However, two years on, her symptoms had worsened again. So she returned to Freeman Hospital orthopaedic surgeon Jim Holland.

Mr Holland has been leading a trial testing whether ceramic hip implants - which “cap” the joint after the resurfacing process, avoiding the need for full hip replacement.