An injection of my own blood fixed my agonising knee pain, says Strictly's ...

An injection of my own blood fixed my agonising knee pain, says Strictly's ...
An injection of my own blood fixed my agonising knee pain, says Strictly's ...

As an explorer, adventurer and lover of endurance sports, a stint on Strictly Come Dancing should have been a breeze for Steve Backshall.

Yet the BAFTA-winning television presenter faced an endurance battle, as he jived and quick-stepped with partner Ola Jordan in 2014, as a result of agonising pain in his right knee; pain which would subsequently be diagnosed as osteoarthritis.

‘It was just awful,’ recalls Steve, 48, who lives in Berkshire with wife Helen Glover, the Olympic gold medal rower, and their three children, Logan, three, and twins Kit and Willow, one.

Ola Jordan and Steve Backshall on Strictly Come Dancing. The Olympic gold medal rower has osteoarthritis

Ola Jordan and Steve Backshall on Strictly Come Dancing. The Olympic gold medal rower has osteoarthritis

‘My knee had been giving me a bit of trouble ever since I broke my left ankle in a climbing accident in 2010. It took 11 operations to try and fix the ankle but I never let up on my expeditions and adventures.

‘Throughout that time, to compensate for the weakness on my left, I was putting pressure on the opposite side of my body — and my right knee was absorbing all that.

‘The pain in my knee started slowly, but by the time I was on Strictly it was agony.’

Yet now, thanks, he believes, to a new treatment, he’s had a pain-free 18 months.

‘I remember getting out of my hammock on an exploratory expedition in the jungles of Borneo, with giant rainforest trees high as skyscrapers overhead and gibbons singing over the canopy, and thinking: “I can really do this again.”

‘Equally, the sheer joy of running around the garden with the kids has been fantastic. Before I’d throw the ball and let them do the running. Now I’m with them and I’m not grimacing in pain.’

Osteoarthritis affects around a third of people in the UK aged 45 and over. It’s typically age-related as a result of general wear and tear, but other risk factors include obesity, family history and previous injuries.

The joints become stiff and painful partly because inflammatory proteins outnumber anti-inflammatory ones and attack the cartilage.

Treatment is typically non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) drugs such as ibuprofen, or steroid injections into the joint to reduce inflammation.

However steroids are not effective long term, says Vikas Vedi, a consultant hip and knee surgeon at Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Trust and BMI Bishops Wood Hospital.

Steve’s consultant told him about a colleague who was providing a new treatment at his private clinic. Pictured, Steve with his wife Helen Glover

Steve’s consultant told him about a colleague who was providing a new treatment at his private clinic. Pictured, Steve with his wife Helen Glover

‘Steroids tend to become less effective each time they’re used. There is some evidence that suggests repeated steroid injections soften and damage the cartilage.’

For the most severe form of osteoarthritis, a joint replacement may be needed.

The treatment Steve had, called nStride, uses extracts from the patient’s own blood to target the inflammation.

In the 20-minute procedure around 55ml of blood is taken from the patient and is then put into a centrifuge to remove around 7ml of plasma — which is rich in platelets and some white blood cells. This is then put through a second centrifuge spin to separate out the anti-inflammatory proteins, producing about 3ml of fluid.

‘This fluid is rich in anti-inflammatory proteins known as cytokines and interleukins,’ says Mr Vedi. ‘When injected into the knee, these bind to the cartilage to stop the inflammatory proteins in the inflamed joint causing further breakdown of the cartilage cells, and reducing pain.’

Going with the grain 

H&B Wholegrain Brown Barley, 500g, £1.49, hollandand barrett.com

A couple of handfuls of wholegrain barley (which is different from pearl barley) is a great way to thicken soups. You’ll get 15g gut-friendly fibre — half your recommended daily needs — and 9.7g filling protein in a 100g

read more from dailymail.....

PREV WHO do you think you are? MPs fear 'unelected' UN officials could dictate ... trends now
NEXT Urgent warning over counterfeit anti-choking devices made in China and sold for ... trends now