After having his first knee replacement at Spire Liverpool Hospital eight years ago, ex-Everton player Thomas Wright decided to come back to The Bone and Joint Centre to have his hip and knee assessed as his GP advised him that more surgery might be on the cards.

Mr Wright, better known as Tommy Wright, joined Everton Football Club as an apprentice when he was fifteen and made 373 appearances at right back for the club. Tommy made twelve international appearances for England, playing in the match against Brazil in the 1970 World Cup in Mexico, where defending champions England were knocked out by the South Americans. Following a cruciate ligament injury, Tommy retired from professional football completely in 1974.

Tommy told us  “I’ve suffered quite a bit with joint problems since playing professionally which had gotten worse in the last few years. I had my left knee done eight years ago here at Spire Liverpool Hospital and was more than happy with the outcome so decided to come back here when I started to have problems with my other knee and hip. I was referred to Mr Santini who advised me that I needed my left hip replacing and that I would also need my right knee replacing. Mr Santini explained everything to me and told me that we could do things in stages so that I could have enough time to recover between procedures”.

Tommy had his left hip replaced in June and had his right knee replaced in November. Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon, Mr Alasdair Santini, said “Mr Wright has worn his joints out as a result of his many years of playing football. He had done very well following his left knee replacement but his left hip and right knee had were now completely worn and non-surgical options had been exhausted. We replaced the left hip first and once he had recovered, which he did so in a very short time, we replaced his right knee. Being an ex-professional footballer at the highest level, he knew the importance of post-operative physiotherapy and worked hard after the hip replacement and is currently working hard with his new knee. I’ve no doubt he will recover well and get back to an active lifestyle.”

Tommy said “I’m thrilled with the outcome up to know. I know I still have some way to go but Mr Santini has just been amazing, I can’t thank him enough for his support. Everyone from the nurses on the ward to the physiotherapist have really been great. I’m looking forward to getting out and about a bit more now and I’d just like to say a big thank you to everyone.”