When Markus Rasche went into hospital to have his right knee replaced, he had heard the stories about how painful the recovery was supposed to be.
However, the 64-year-old man was able to trial a revolutionary new method for post-surgical pain relief at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.
This involved inserting a small dissolvable wafer containing non-opioid painkillers into the knee joint.
The wafer slowly releases the analgesic, providing localised relief after the procedure.
Mr Rasche, a semi-retired company director from North Yorkshire, said: “The pain management was excellent.
“It was manageable straight away.”
He later had his left knee replaced under the standard procedure for post-surgical pain and it was a very different experience, requiring opioid-based medication.
Mr Rasche added: “The immediate pain was excruciating, reducing me to a wreck.
“The hospital had to put me on severe pain management, which I didn’t like.”
More than 100,000 knee replacements are carried out in the UK every year, mostly for people with severe arthritis, and patients typically experience significant pain afterwards.
The wafer is being developed by Allay Therapeutics, a US-based biotechnology company.
It aims to provide two key benefits: sustained relief after surgery and quicker patient mobilisation and rehabilitation.
This is in contrast to commonly used injections, which only alleviate pain for the first 12-18 hours
Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust is the primary UK site for the Study Assessing Pain Relief after Replacement of the Knee (SPARK), a clinical trial sponsored by Allay Therapeutics.
The Clinical Research Facility at Chapel Allerton Hospital in Leeds recruited the first UK patient and has overseen the largest recruitment programme among six sites in the UK.
The study is also taking place in Australia and Canada.
In the UK, the study is being led by Professor Hemant Pandit, an expert in hip and knee joint replacement surgery who is based at the University of Leeds and is an honorary consultant at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.
SPARK is assessing the safety and efficacy of the implantable analgesic, which is a thin wafer made of surgical suture material in the shape of a guitar pick.
Latest study results show the wafer provided sustained post-surgical pain relief for up to four weeks for patients following total knee replacement.
Compared to the standard of care, the wafer provided longer-lasting pain relief, reduced the need for opioids, and allowed patients to return to daily activities sooner.
It is undergoing further studies ahead of a potential application to the US Food and Drug Administration.
Craig Armstrong, research nurse coordinator at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, said the new approach could change the way pain relief is delivered following surgery.
Prof Pandit added: “This is a promising technology indeed and we would love to be able to offer it to our patients in the future, pending regulatory guidance and approval.
“We really appreciate patients like Mr Rasche volunteering to take part in this important research.”