08/09/2026
Last week, I shared what it takes to run Callaloo Corner with chronic pain and a hidden disability. I promised an update after an appointment about both knees.
The outcome was disappointing. There is no further treatment available for chronic pain at present. My left knee may take months to return to its usual baseline. My consultant does not want to operate on the right knee at this stage and advised me to ask my trainer to begin VMO-strengthening work.
I found my unicorn again. 🦄 His name is Adam French ( ).
Adam is a qualified personal trainer with more than 15 years’ experience, a Sport Coaching & Development degree and sports massage training. We first trained at the University of Southampton and later reconnected through LinkedIn.
Adam took this video during last week’s session. Weeks earlier, I could not have attempted this movement. After a leg stretch, my knee felt as though it had “unlocked”, and I could try.
A tiny adjustment to my feet, hips or elbows, a different position or a change of weight can take me from “I can’t do this” to “What the heck? I can do it.”
Monday reminded me that progress is rarely a straight line.
In the final ten minutes, we tried an exercise intended to load the knee. I could not complete it, and the attempt left my knee feeling locked again.
I was disappointed. You could see how upset Adam was that I was in pain and how much the setback affected him. We stopped, and deep tissue massage to the front and back of my lower leg left the knee feeling easier and no longer locked.
Before I left, he asked me to share my medical reports so my programme could be adapted within the clinical guidance I have been given.
That response reinforced why I value this approach: close observation, knowing when to stop and being willing to understand and adapt when something does not go to plan.
My chronic pain has not disappeared. Once my body cools down, it returns. But working with Adam has given me something I did not leave that hospital appointment with: some hope.
