Our work
Welcome to The Bristol Knee Charity, a registered charity established on 1st May 2018 to continue the important work previously carried out by The Bristol Knee Group. Our organisation is focused on promoting and protecting the health of individuals who suffer from musculoskeletal disease, with a particular emphasis on the knee joint.
The Bristol Knee Group had been in operation for many years within the Avon Orthopaedic Centre on the Southmead Hospital site in Bristol. With the opening of the Brunel building, the group expanded its activities to include the Clinical Research Centre and the Brunel building. Now, as The Bristol Knee Charity, we are committed to continuing and expanding upon this work.
Our primary objectives include providing scholarships, maintenance allowances, and grants to researchers to perform critical research into musculoskeletal disease and publish their findings. We also aim to advance the care of individuals affected by musculoskeletal disease by providing education to healthcare practitioners and patients. Additionally, we strive to promote wellness and health among patients suffering from musculoskeletal disease.
We invite you to explore our website to learn more about our mission, our activities, and how you can support our efforts. Together, we can make a difference in the lives of those affected by musculoskeletal disease.
A brief history of knee surgery in Bristol
The practice of knee surgery has evolved over the years, from being a general practice to a specialised one. In the early days, surgeons were generalists who undertook knee surgeries. The first Bristol contribution to knee surgery was made by Pritchard in 1899 when he described 5 methods of treating patella fractures. Hey-Groves described compression arthrodesis of the knee in 1907, over 40 years before Charley's first publication on the subject. Knee surgery was undertaken by several orthopaedic surgeons as an additional interest in the 1920s and 30s. The first knee publications from Bristol were in 1975 when Hill and Hampson reported the late results of tibial tubercle transfer for patella instability, and in 1979 when Sikorski reported on the importance of femoral rotation in chondromalacia patella.
The arthroplasty era began in the 1980s, marked by a period of very rapid expansion of knee replacements. John Bailey established a respected knee replacement service in Bristol, initially using the Sheehan sloppy hinge, which was later replaced by the Kinematic TKR in 1980. Bailey introduced regular follow-up of his knee replacements and formed the Knee Group in about 1980, which resulted in a substantial database of well-documented material from which many articles were published. The 1980s also marked a period of considerable interest in the problem of the patellofemoral joint.
In the 1990s, the PFC was extensively used and later the Corin Rotaglide as part of a fixed versus mobile bearing prospective trial. From 2000 onwards, several implants and revision systems were used, with the Genesis frequently being favoured. For many years, the St. Georg Sled all polyethylene unicompartmental replacement was used with good effect, but this changed in the 1990s with the introduction of the Uniglide system and the Oxford mobile bearing implant. There was also considerable interest in the problem of the patellofemoral joint.
The Bristol knee unit has contributed substantially to knee surgery over the years, with several knee publications and research studies documenting outcomes of knee replacements, death rates, infection rates, complications, and the management of associated fractures. Knee surgery has evolved to include navigation, minimally invasive approaches, and patient-specific instrumentation. The Avon PFJ replacement became the world's leading PFJ replacement, and trochlear dysplasia as a cause of persistent patella problems became recognised.
