Raymond Rijs about his knee distraction with the KneeReviver.

Actually, it all started with a complicated leg fracture due to a game of football in 1968. The fracture was incorrectly reduced at the time, which put both my foot and knee into a wrong position. This resulted in a period of about twenty years into a lot of problems, such as difficulties in walking and increasing pain in my knee due to osteoarthritis. The first surgery to correct the abnormal position of the leg completely failed and my leg was in risk of amputation. Finally, I came to Dr. Van Roermund who knew a solution for the osteoarthritis of the knee joint as well. He had good experiences with distraction of painful osteoarthritic ankle joints but distracting an osteoarthritic knee joint was never done before. However, I suffered so much pain and trusted him so that I dared to be the first one in the world to get this treatment. That was in 2002 with good results.

In 2016 the knee pain reoccurred and in 2018 a total knee replacement was given, 16 years after the knee joint distraction. One year later the other knee joint was replaced also by a total knee prosthesis. It is very special that my total knee replacement could be postponed for such a long time. Now I’m still walking without pain. My one leg is slightly shorter than the other but that doesn’t matter. I can cycle, skate and even ski. As a volunteer at a vineyard where I regularly give tours, I walk a lot on uneven terrain: no problem. I can easily walk 10 kilometers before I feel anything. Truly wonderful.

Raymond Rijs

January 2022
Netherlands

I’m Mark Larkin, a 50-year-old living in Geneva. I’ve always been active—playing football and rugby, skiing, and running. But after tearing my ACL at 21 and undergoing surgery, I gradually developed severe knee issues. By the time I turned 40, I could no longer run, and pain started interfering with my daily life.

I tried everything: physiotherapy, hyaluronic acid injections—but nothing stopped the decline. By 48, even short walks were difficult. Constant pain became my normal. My only option seemed to be a total knee replacement, but that wouldn’t last forever, and a revision later on could have poor outcomes.

In June 2022, I underwent knee joint distraction (KJD) using the KneeReviver device. The procedure itself was straightforward, but the six weeks wearing the device were quite tough. Still, once it was removed, my recovery took off—I quickly returned to cycling and swimming. My knee improved significantly and stopped deteriorating.

Fast forward to 2025, three years post-surgery:

I recently completed a 90-kilometre walking challenge over three days in South-East England with university friends. Just a few years ago, I could barely manage a few hundred metres. Today, I can walk as far as I want. Uphill walking is easy; downhill still takes some effort, but the difference is night and day.

What matters most is that my knee is stable and improving, not worsening. That’s a huge win.

To anyone considering this treatment: if you’re facing knee replacement like I was, six weeks with the KneeReviver is worth it to delay that major step, possibly for many years.

And my advice? Be diligent with your physiotherapy. I truly believe that made a big difference.

Given the success, I’m now seriously considering KJD for my other knee, which also suffers from sports-related damage.

Knee Joint Distraction didn’t just restore my mobility, it gave me back my freedom, confidence, and quality of life.

Mark Larkin
May 2025
Switzerland

Caroline Eekhart about her knee distraction with the KneeReviver

At age 18, I had a small bicycle accident. From then on, several surgeries followed and in 2018 progressive osteoarthritis grade 4 was diagnosed. This was quite a disappointment but confirmed my fears.

I didn’t run anymore, the laps with the dog became shorter and shorter, I slept very badly, was always in pain, used medication all the time and compensated at the expense of other joints. The pain and limitations had a great impact on my mood, my work, and my daily life.

I had a knee distraction surgery with KneeReviver in the summer of 2019. During the distraction, the pain was almost gone. The frame was painful but that was only temporary and not comparable with the knee pain I had before. After so many years of constant pain, it was remarkable that at night I felt no pain at all.

I am now able to do my daily 10,000 steps again, my mobility is so much better but even more, the pain is almost gone. After rehab, I didn’t take any pain medication any more. I realize that I don’t have a new and healthy knee but for the time being I don’t need a knee replacement. If I can avoid that by doing another knee joint distraction I definitely would do it again!

Caroline Eekhart

January 2022
Netherlands

Guy Cools about his knee distraction with the KneeReviver

I couldn’t get further than 500 steps a day.

I have always played a lot of sports: football, volleyball, badminton, squash, tennis, windsurfing…

My knee problems started quite suddenly after a day of intensive working in the garden. At first, I thought it was a torn meniscus, but research showed that I had advanced osteoarthritis on the inside of my knee. I was only 59 years old and too young for a knee replacement, so I was suggested an osteotomy, which is an operation in which the axis of the knee is changed from bow-legged to straight-legged. I am a physiotherapist myself and the expectation of having to undergo such a surgery did not make me happy. At a symposium I heard Prof. Dr. Heusdens speak about a knee distraction that was only performed on ‘young’ patients (younger than 60 years) and that the UMC in Utrecht had already been performing for 10 years.

I then went to a patient information evening in Utrecht and thoroughly consulted the medical literature on knee distraction. After discussions with the knee surgeon Prof. Heusdens, I was convinced that this was the best solution for me. Immediately after the surgery it was quite painful to walk around with the frame, but soon moving became easier again. I have chosen to recuperate slowly but correctly and thoroughly.

After a while I was able to resume my work as an independent physiotherapist and six months after the rehabilitation, I was able to walk 10 kilometers again, climb stairs, cycle, etc. Imaging showed that a cartilage layer had formed again in my knee. I stopped playing tennis. Meanwhile, 5 years have passed, and I am very satisfied with the result of the distraction, I still have my own knee and hope that I never have to have a prosthesis.

Guy Cools

April 2024
België