Hip hip hooray: How MedTech got Mike back on the court
If you were to ask Mike Spurling’s children how they would describe his relationship with tennis, they would use the word “obsessed”.
Mike prefers “keen”. Or “obsessed…but in a healthy way”.
Even though this is a telephone conversation, I can sense a wry smile creeping across Mike’s face when he says this.
It’s the smile of a man who is very much aware of his passion for the sport.
Put simply, Mike is tennis-mad. And working from his home in South West London affords him the chance to visit his local club daily for a quick match against a willing opponent.
However, not long ago, Mike was forced to stop playing the game he loves.
At 65, arthritis and general wear and tear had left its toll on Mike’s hip. He was faced with a decision: live with the pain it was causing and give up tennis, or undergo a replacement procedure.
For Mike, this was a no brainer.
In June 2017, Mike underwent the replacement operation. And just five weeks after being fitted with the DePuy Synthes Corail Pinnacle hip, he was back hitting tennis balls again.
This was far ahead of Mike’s predicted return. Naturally, he was delighted.
He says that playing now is significantly easier than it has been for many years, which is all thanks to the hip.
In fact, he’s playing more tennis now than he ever has.
It has, in his words, been “life changing.” The ability to be active and do the things he wants to do, when he wants to, has given him a new lease of life.
He is a big advocate for continued patient access to the latest in innovative medical technologies, just like the hip he received. In his mind “there would be no reason why not to.”
And with that, the call must come to an end. Mike has a match against an old friend that afternoon. Far be it from me to keep him from the court!
ABHI spoke to Mike as part of #MedTechWeek - A week filled with activities all over Europe with a shared aim of increasing awareness and encouraging dialogue around medical technology. Visit the MedTech week website for more information.
