Scotland rugby legend returns to successful farming career thanks to surgery at Spire Edinburgh Hospitals

John Jeffrey, former Scotland international rugby union player, can continue with his successful farming career after knee replacement surgery at Spire Edinburgh Hospitals.

John was a star of the most successful Scotland squad of the modern era, winning the Grand Slam in 1990 and 1984. He won 40 caps for Scotland between 1984 and 1991, making him Scotland's most capped flanker at the time. Fans knew him as one of the great blindside flankers, and as the “White Shark” due to his blond hair and ability to pop up when you least expected him.

John has also been a farmer throughout his life. Rugby Union wasn’t a professional sport until 1995 when restrictions on player payments were removed. So, while playing rugby for Scotland at the weekends, John would spend the week working on the family farm in the Scottish Borders. After playing rugby around the world for the British and Irish Lions he would return to work on the farm. Alongside his father, John became just as successful at breeding pedigree cattle as he was on the pitch. He continued with his farming career after retiring from rugby.

Surgery to regain quality of life

However, the physical nature of a career in sport – particularly one as physical as rugby – eventually caught up with John. He was experiencing severe pain in his knee and his limited movement started to prevent him from working at the farm.

“It started to get worse and worse as I got older. Movement was restricted and being an active farmer I needed to have full movement. I had a lot of problems getting in and out of cars, or if I’d been driving my knee was sore. It was also getting painful at night, so it got to the stage where I needed surgery to regain functioning capacity.”

John decided to do something about his knee problems. His priority was accessing the highest quality of care as quickly as possible to regain the quality of life he desired - and continue achieving his personal and professional ambitions. John was familiar with Spire Healthcare as the official healthcare partner of Scottish Rugby. He knew rugby players of the past and present that were back on their feet after successful surgery at Spire and felt confident in the quality of care they provide. He decided it was the natural place to go.

Fast access to clinical excellence

The Chief Medical Officer at Scottish Rugby personally recommended Mr Graham Lawson, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon at Spire Edinburgh Hospitals, and a current member of Scotland Rugby’s medical team. John knew he could trust the medical experts at Spire and requested for a consultation to be arranged.

He was seen at Spire Murrayfield Hospital on Corstorphine Hill within a few days, in view of the national rugby stadium. An initial consultation took place to assess the range of movement of his knee, as well as its strength and stability. It was decided that John was a good candidate for a full knee replacement and surgery was booked for three weeks after the consultation. The physiotherapists at Spire worked with John ahead of his surgery to recommend exercises for strengthening the muscle around the knee and improve recovery time.

John received treatment a few weeks later and headed home to his family after a two-night stay at Spire Murrayfield. On-site physiotherapists supported him with post-surgery recovery. His bedroom was comfortable and private with en-suite facilities.

“I’ve got full movement now. The only thing that’s restricted now is extended kneeling or squatting, but it’s back to as good as I could expect. I was very well looked after by the physio and nursing staff. I would absolutely recommend Spire because they went the extra mile. The pre-op work, the post-care, the surgeon, and people working in the hospital were all first-rate. Being an active farmer it was important that I had as much movement as possible and thankfully that was achieved”

Joint replacement programme at Spire Edinburgh Hospitals

Spire Edinburgh Hospitals offer a comprehensive joint replacement programme. A wide range of bone, muscle and joint conditions are treated with an extensive range of surgical and non-invasive procedures. With fast access to consultations and diagnostic tests, the surgeons at Spire Edinburgh Hospitals provide expert advice to help you make the right decision about your care and help you get back to doing what you love.

Orthopaedic surgeons at Spire Murrayfield Hospital can now use Mako’s robotic-arm to assist during knee and hip replacements. The robotic technology provides a personalised surgical plan for joint replacement surgery. Compared to traditional surgery, Mako robot-assisted surgery has been proven to significantly reduce pain after surgery, allow a faster recovery in early knee movement, and provide two to three times the accuracy in joint replacement surgery.

The joint replacement programme for Spire Edinburgh Hospitals is carried out at Spire Murrayfield Hospital. Murrayfield Hospital has sat on Corstorphine Hill for 40 years and recently received an £8 million investment to refurbish clinical areas and patient bedrooms, while allowing Spire to deliver greater treatment choice and faster access for Scottish patients.

John Jeffrey, Former Scotland International Rugby Union Player

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If you are self-funding and would like to book an appointment today, or if you have pricing questions, you can make a phone enquiry on 0131 316 2507.

Self-funding patients can now also book their appointments online. Just visit Spire Edinburgh’s website and book via a consultant profile, for example “Mr Graham M Lawson.”