Neil’s Story
Dr James Noake
Consultant in Sport, Exercise & Musculoskeletal Medicine
- 22 September, 2026
- Complex Musculoskeletal Injury Clinic
- Stories
- 1 min read

“I’d lived with a devastating injury for over 20 years.
It brought misery – surgeries, rehabilitation, injections, appointments, scans, bad advice, and mistakes.
Despite being relentless and committed to my rehab and determined to get better, nobody could accurately diagnose the real problem. I eventually gave up hope.
I’m a strong man – I’ve boxed and been to war with the Army, but this injury completely broke me.
A couple of years later, I could barely walk properly or even put my shoes on.
Out of desperation, I found a hip specialist, Mehmet Gem. He worked with James Noake and introduced me to him.
Alongside a few other exceptional specialists who became my team, they stripped my complex case apart bit by bit, one problem at a time.
After so many unnecessary interventions over the years, James made sure that every decision was the right one. He was unwavering in his confidence that the iliopsoas (hip flexor) tendon was the source of pain after my hip replacement.
When the surgeon finally operated, it was the right intervention at the right time because of James’s diagnostic confidence and skill set.
Without James and his world-class colleagues, I have no doubt I would have ended up in a wheelchair. Instead, they helped me overcome each hurdle, step by step.
James worked tirelessly, genuinely cared, and was always accessible.
The communication between every specialist was extraordinary, with everyone united by one goal – to fix me. As I write this, I have a tear in my eye.
To me, these people have been a gift from God. There is only one thing left to say – THANK YOU!”
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