1. About me

I’m in my early thirties and I’m very active – I’m in the gym five to six times a week, doing a mix of strength training and cardio. I also work with a strength and conditioning PT three times a week, so training is a big part of my routine. Professionally, I work as a Chief Operating Officer in digital health and AI, which is an intense and demanding role. Having balance, both mentally and physically, is really important to me, and staying active is a big part of how I manage that.

2. The problem before treatment

Before treatment, I was training heavily in the gym while also preparing for the Great North Run. During this period, I started to notice a dull, nagging pain around both kneecaps, especially after heavier or more intense sessions. Initially, I assumed it was just overtraining – at the time I was leg pressing 360kg and squatting 120kg – but over a few months the pain became progressively harder to ignore.

It began creeping into everyday life: going up and down stairs was uncomfortable, getting up from my desk felt stiff and awkward, and even walking for longer periods became unpleasant. It was frustrating, because it was limiting my running and affecting my training goals, but it was also just generally irritating day to day. On top of that, there was an underlying worry. The year before, I’d undergone treatment for Stage 3 womb cancer, including surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, which resulted in my ovaries being removed. Afterwards, I was advised that I could be at risk of osteoporosis. So when the knee pain started, a part of me feared it might be something more serious than training fatigue.

3. What made me seek help

I realised it was time to get help when I found myself avoiding the gym altogether. I was also exhausted from constantly guessing what the problem might be and carrying the worry around with me. Once I reached the point where “Dr Google” was offering every weird and terrifying diagnosis under the sun, I knew I needed a proper, professional opinion.

4. My treatment and rehabilitation journey

From the first session, the physio really listened, which immediately put me at ease. I had deep tissue massage to release the tension around my knees and quads, and I was given stretches and strengthening exercises. The biggest turning point was learning that I’m hyper-mobile. I’d never known this about myself, and it suddenly explained so much about why certain movements had been causing strain. Rather than just treating the pain, the physio taught me how to adjust my technique – how to stabilise more effectively, control my movements, and recognise when I was relying too much on flexibility instead of strength.

5. The results and progress

The first improvement was surprisingly quick – within 24 hours, the sharp, distracting discomfort had eased noticeably. It was a huge relief. I stopped panicking about osteoporosis every time I felt a twinge, and I started to feel in control of my body again. Over the following weeks, I returned to my normal gym routine. A full DEXA scan in December also confirmed there was nothing to worry about, which only strengthened that sense of reassurance.

6. Where I am now

I’m now back to training consistently and pushing myself again, but this time with much better awareness of my form, limits and hypermobility. I was able to keep training throughout the rest of the year and successfully completed the Great North Run, raising just under £2,000 for The Royal Marsden Cancer Hospital in Chelsea, who treated me. I still use the stretches and warm-up techniques I was taught, and they’ve made a noticeable difference to how I train across all muscle groups.

7. My message to others

If something doesn’t feel right, don’t sit with the worry – and definitely don’t rely on Dr Google. Getting the right support gives you clarity, confidence and a plan forward. It was far less scary and far less stressful than I expected, and it made all the difference.