What this site is and is not a substitute for

The content on profpaullee.com is for general information about cartilage, joint preservation, sports knee and hip injuries, orthopaedic decision-making, regenerative orthopaedics, recovery and the wider clinical work of Professor Paul Y. F. Lee.

It is written for an audience that includes patients, prospective patients, clinical colleagues, solicitors, journalists, conference organisers and commercial partners. It is not a substitute for a personal clinical consultation with a doctor, surgeon or other appropriately qualified clinician who has assessed you in full.

Reading this site does not create a doctor-patient relationship between you and Professor Lee.

Nothing on this site should be taken as a diagnosis of your condition, a prescription, a confirmation of suitability for any treatment, or a recommendation to start, stop or change any treatment. Suitability for cartilage repair, ACL repair, meniscus surgery, hip preservation or replacement, joint injection, regenerative orthopaedic treatment or any other intervention requires an individual assessment that takes account of your medical history, imaging, examination and goals.

Where treatment options or named techniques (for example ChondroFiller, STARR, STACi, SPAIRE, Bikini hip, TWIS-TKR, Arthrosamid, PRP, microfragmented adipose tissue (mFAT), autologous chondrocyte implantation, osteochondral allograft) are described, the description is intended to help you understand what those treatments are and where they sit in current orthopaedic practice, not to tell you whether they are right for you.

If you or someone with you has symptoms that may indicate a medical emergency (sudden severe pain, sudden inability to weight-bear, severe swelling, chest pain, breathlessness, signs of stroke or other life-threatening features) call 999 (UK) or your local emergency number immediately, or attend the nearest emergency department.

If you have new or rapidly worsening symptoms that are not an emergency but need same-day or next-day clinical attention, contact NHS 111, your GP, your treating consultant, or attend an urgent treatment centre.

This site is not monitored as a clinical service. Sending a message, request or form submission through this site is not a means of obtaining urgent clinical help.

Orthopaedic decisions, including whether to consider joint preservation, repair, regeneration or replacement, depend on factors that cannot be evaluated from a website. These include your age, activity level, weight, smoking status, comorbidities, prior surgeries, imaging findings, the precise pattern and stage of your condition, your goals for function and your tolerance of recovery.

If you would like a personal assessment with Professor Lee, the practical routes are listed at /work-with-professor-lee. If you are looking for cartilage, joint preservation or regenerative-orthopaedic treatment routes that Professor Lee leads clinically, the relevant clinic is London Cartilage Clinic at Harley Street.

Where treatments described on this site are well evidenced, that is stated plainly. Where evidence is emerging, mixed, limited to specific patient groups, or pending publication, that is stated too. Several of the procedures referenced, for example regenerative orthopaedic techniques, augmented repairs and certain hydrogel injection therapies, have evidence bases that continue to evolve. Decisions in these areas should always be made on an individual basis with a clinician who can review your specific situation.

We do not describe a treatment as proven, effective or appropriate for a category of patients beyond what the underlying evidence supports.

This site links to independent third-party sources, the GMC register, ORCID, PubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus, university staff pages, peer-reviewed journals, professional society websites, news outlets and ecosystem partner sites. Those sites are operated independently. Their content, accuracy, availability, terms of use and privacy practices are their own responsibility.

This disclaimer may be updated as practice, regulation, or the content of this site changes. The "Last reviewed" date at the top of this page records the most recent material review. Continued use of the site after a change indicates acceptance of the updated terms.