Hip Dysplasia Specialists in Manningtree, Tendring (2 results)

Today I felt the need to write something to praise the brilliant consultant orthopaedic surgeon Edward Massa. Mr Massa performed total hip replacement surgery on me in November - and I am proud to say I was the first person to be operated on in the fantastic £64m Dame Clare Marx orthopaedic centre at Colchester General Hospital. I am still waiting for a plaque in my honour to be put up! But seriously, I cannot praise Mr Massa enough. I went to see him a few months before the op (yes, I was incredibly lucky not to have to wait a long time for it) to ask about a steroid injection as a temporary solution to the problems with my right hip. He was so charming, confident and charismatic, with a great sense of humour, that within a few minutes - possibly even just seconds - he had persuaded me to have the hip replaced instead. It did help when he pointed out there was zero cartilage in the hip, due probably my decades of kicking a football, and suffering injuries in the area. The operation went very well and typical of Mr Massa’s keeness to have a laugh he came to see me on the morning after to joke (I hope) that he had been a little bit anxious during it, because all the instruments he used to remove my old hip were brand new and super sharp - unlike the old blunt ones he had been used to. It sparked the thought of me waking up to be told “sorry Mr Woods, we accidentally sawed your right leg off!”. But he said it with such a cheeky grin that it has become a memorable recollection of that day-and-a-half in hospital. So why I am writing this now? Well last night, for the first time in about 15 years, I played in a football match. I have to admit I was trepidatious about it, as the last time I tried to kick anything (a tennis ball after playing yet another shocking shot) I searing pain had shot through my hip. But thanks to the expertise and car of Mr Massa I not only survived the four short walking football matches at Stanway School, our hastily put-together team drew the first game 0-0 and we won the other three 1-0. I was, I am delighted to say, not rubbish - and even scored the winner in the last game... In summary, the NHS takes plenty of stick, but I have nothing but praise for Mr Massa and his team. With my tabloid journalist background I shall finish by saying: “Hip hip hooray” to them!