Spire Wirral DAA FB story

Patient hails new hip replacement technique which helped her get back on her feet just one week after surgery.

After living with debilitating hip pain for more than three years, North Wales resident Mrs Davies turned to Mr Muthu Ganapathi at Spire Murrayfield Hospital Wirral for a Direct Anterior Approach (DAA) hip replacement. This innovative muscle-sparing technique can help reduce post-operative pain and support a faster recovery. Just one week after surgery, Mrs Davies was walking unaided and already experiencing life-changing results.

Dancer returns to Ysbyty Gwynedd to thank staff a year after life-changing hip surgery

A patient’s swift return to high levels of activity following hip replacement surgery has highlighted the potential benefits of a minimally invasive surgical technique now being introduced for selected patients at Ysbyty Gwynedd.

Sarah Woosey, a veteran performer who has appeared in West End productions and cruise ship shows, had been struggling with painful arthritis in her hip and feared she may never dance again.

In early 2025, she underwent a minimally invasive hip replacement using the direct anterior approach with a ‘bikini incision’, carried out by Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon Mr Muthu Ganapathi.

New app supports faster recovery for knee replacement patients at Ysbyty Gwynedd

A new app is helping patients recover faster and more effectively following knee replacement surgery at Ysbyty Gwynedd.

The app, mymobility®, developed by Zimmer Biomet, guides patients through pre- and post-operative exercises while tracking progress and providing personalised feedback.

One recent patient, former nurse Jen French, 62, began experiencing knee pain seven years ago, which gradually limited her ability to enjoy activities like hiking, walking her dogs, and playing golf. She started using mymobility® six weeks before her surgery and found the pre-operative exercises and educational resources motivating and helpful in preparing for the operation.

After surgery, she continued to follow the app daily alongside physiotherapy at Llandudno Hospital. The app tracks walking parameters and each exercise, allowing patients to monitor their own progress. It works both on Android and Apple smartphones and can optionally be linked to the apple watch.

78-year-old bus driver back on school runs just two months after hip surgery thanks team at Ysbyty Gwynedd

A bus driver is back behind the wheel only two months after hip replacement surgery, thanks to the Orthopaedic team at Ysbyty Gwynedd.

Alun Roberts, 78, was admitted to Ysbyty Gwynedd in June 2024 after it was discovered he had suffered a fracture to his hip, leaving him in excruciating pain.

Mr Roberts, from Mynytho on the Llŷn Peninsula, suffered an injury during December 2023 whilst moving furniture at home that continued to get worse over the following months.

Innovative Fellowship helps train more surgeons in robotic-assisted surgery

A surgeon at Ysbyty Gwynedd has become the first in Wales to complete a unique robotic knee surgery training programme.

The use of robotic-assisted surgery has gained momentum within the world of Orthopaedic surgery at Ysbyty Gwynedd since 2021 when they became the first hospital in Wales to perform robotic knee-replacements.

Earlier this year the hospital also became the first NHS robotic training centre in the country to train other surgeons in robotic knee surgery. As part of this, Zimmer Biomet who provide the ROSA system provided the opportunity to create a Hip and Knee Robotic Fellowship role. This provides senior surgeons the opportunity to work with the Health Board for six months and train in robotics before applying for their Consultant role.

Ysbyty Gwynedd’s robotic knee surgery innovation attracts attention from surgeons across Europe

Surgeons from across Europe have been visiting Ysbyty Gwynedd to observe and learn about the hospital’s use of robotic knee replacements.

The surgeons, from Poland, Slovakia, Romania and the United Kingdom have been observing the operations carried out by Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon Mr Muthu Ganapathi.

Ysbyty Gwynedd has been pioneering robotic knee replacements since 2022 and is the only NHS hospital in Wales to offer this type of surgery.

Mr Ganapathi along with colleagues Mr Agustin Soler, Mr Koldo Azura, Mr Amir Azam and Mr Ashok Goel have now carried out more than 250 robotic knee replacements using the ROSA robotic system.

Mr Ganapathi said: “There has been a paradigm shift in how a knee replacement is carried out.

Teacher back to day to day activities after robotic knee replacement

A RETIRED teacher was walking unaided less than 48 hours after a Colwyn Bay surgeon’s ground-breaking robotic surgery to replace her knee, and is now back doing the school run with her grandchildren.

A RETIRED teacher was walking unaided less than 48 hours after a Colwyn Bay surgeon’s ground-breaking robotic surgery to replace her knee, and is now back doing the school run with her grandchildren.

Orthopaedic Surgeon at Ysbyty Gwynedd praised for delivering excellent training programme

A surgeon at Ysbyty Gwynedd has been recognised for providing excellent learning opportunities and improving the surgical skills of his trainees. Consultant Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgeon, Mr Muthu Ganapathi is nominated for the annual ‘Trainer of the Year’ award, which is chosen by trainees across Wales. Mr Ganapathi, who has been nominated for the award by one of his former registrars, is the Orthopaedic Education Lead at Ysbyty Gwynedd.

Exciting innovation projects given funding at the Welsh Health Hack

The Welsh Health Hack continues to showcase the incredible talent and drive to create solutions for major challenges facing health and social care. Life Sciences Hub Wales was delighted to continue its support at the latest Welsh Health Hack, which aims to encourage cross-sector collaboration with up to £250,000 funding available from Welsh Government to support successful innovative ideas.

Adventurer thanks Ysbyty Gwynedd Orthopaedic Team for life changing surgery

A FORMER Bangor University lecturer is back on his feet and has returned from instructing a mountain leadership course in India following life changing hip surgery last year. Tim Jepson, 67, from Mynydd Llandygai, first started experiencing stiffness in both of his hips around ten years ago and was later diagnosed with arthritis.

Anglesey farmer, 91, can walk again after ‘miraculous’ 3D robotic surgery

A 91-year-old retired dairy farmer from North Wales is back on his tractor after undergoing “miraculous” robotic surgery. Great-grandfather Owen John Thomas was unable to walk following a fall but he is now able to stride out on five-mile hikes.

It’s oarsome to be racing again says rower Sian

A rower who was in such excruciating pain she couldn’t walk is now racing again, after a hip replacement operation by a surgeon who has just scooped a top award. Anglesey holiday cottage owner and all-round action woman Sian Davies paid tribute to orthopaedic consultant Mr Muthu Ganapathi for turning her life around. She was delighted to hear that Mr Ganapathi, who works at Spire Yale Hospital in Wrexham and the Spire Consulting Rooms in Abergele, had been named as the best hip and knee surgeon in North Wales.

Ysbyty Gwynedd Launch Online Virtual Joint Replacement Programme

Joint School is a service specifically for people who are about to undergo a hip or knee replacement. It focuses on patient education and allows patients and their families to know what to expect through the various steps they will experience, from preparing for admission through to recovery at home.

Knee Joints Created on 3D Printer

An 85-year-old from Conwy is enjoying a new lease of life after a top surgeon replaced both her knee joints using models created on a 3D printer. The cutting-edge technology at the Spire Yale Hospital in Wrexham has allowed Irena Griffiths to walk unaided for the first time in five years and improved her quality of life.

Retired marine has pioneering knee surgery

A retired marine academic is back  being a hockey umpire and skiing, after a pioneering “made-to-measure” knee operation using 3D moulds. Peter Grove was suffering increasing pain from a knee injury 40 years ago and been forced to give up playing most sports before the operation which has changed his life.