Sonya - Melbourne, Aus

I know if I didn’t join MOVESOME classes I would have had a full knee replacement by now.

After a couple of arthroscopic procedures to clean up the cartilage fragments caused by a previous injury and wear and tear, my left knee has always been painful. Everyday activities seemed to be getting more and more difficult with my left knee .. esp. climbing stairs, running, wearing heels, kneeling, bending to pick up items from the ground.

My orthopaedic surgeon Mr Hayden Morris diagnosed me having Osteoarthritis stage 4 (severe). He said that I needed a knee replacement. I was in disbelief especially being fit active 51 years of age. I understood the complexity of getting an artificial knee joint being in the medical industry and didn’t want to go through an invasive procedure and knowing not everyone always reaches optimal outcomes with surgery.

So I decided to see another well-known orthopaedic specialist for a second opinion Mr Simon Talbot . He agreed with a knee replacement, so in denial I saw a third reputable orthopaedic surgeon Prof Jullian Feller, sadly he agreed it was so severe and no cartilage was present on my left knee and that this has led to a chronic inflammatory response, which decreases synovial fluid that causes friction, greater pain and discomfort when walking or moving the joint. So, a replacement was much needed to resume back to daily activities.

I was recommended by a friend who had a knee replacement to see specialist Mr Justin Hunt. Justin also agreed a knee replacement was needed but his point of difference was he ordered from Germany specific to patient’s knee joints which means the surgeon will need to cut less of my bone whilst inserting the artificial joint during the arthroplasty replacement procedure. So, I was booked for a knee replacement in Sept 2020 with Mr Hunt fortunately Covid 19 prevented this.

Sam recommended me joining his MOVESOME online classes, I immediately told him I could barely sit on the ground and found it very hard to kneel, let alone getting into yoga like positions. However, considering due to the Covid 19 pandemic my surgery was cancelled so I decided to enrol in MOVESOME. I sat on a yoga block for the breathing exercises initially and stopped regularly with the knee/leg workout, at first. Weeks/months later I started to notice strength in my leg muscles esp. the inner thighs and quads. I was feeling much less pain and more stability and flexibility of my knees.

NOW almost after 12 months of MOVESOME ( 3-4 times a week ) and with Sam’s constant reminders of listening to our bodies and ensuring I’m not over stretching or putting too much pressure on my joints/body that’s not bearable . The MOVESOME class has made me build and strengthen my muscles around my left knee and has given me mobility to help stabilise knee joint. Now I can even sit on the ground comfortably during his breathing exercises and kneeling remedial moves.

The best news is after Mr Hunt’s recent appointment he was amazed to see the improvement of me knee with the flexion /extensions/rotation. I told him of my commitment to Sam’s MOVESOME class and he quoted “It’s amazing you no longer need a knee replacement and keep doing these classes. You don’t need to book another appointment with me”.

I thank Sam’s MOVESOME wholeheartedly as I no longer need a knee replacement. I’m feeling no pain, more strength, stability and maintain normal living ... well without Stilettos.