A Patient’s Experience of the David Lloyd Release Procedure — Groin Surgery
UPDATE! Since writing this post, I have been contacted by several people asking about the operation. One of them offered to include a female perspective of the surgery, so that has been added too. Thanks Yvonne. I’ve also got some lingering problems which I’ve added to the end of my own piece.
Please feel free to jump to the section that’s relevant to you:
A Male Patient’s Experience of the ‘Lloyd Release’ Procedure Groin Surgery
In June, 2015, I had the Lloyd Release Procedure to (hopefully) resolve a groin problem. As the time for surgery grew nearer, the lump in the back of my pants was bigger than anything at the front and I spent hours scouring the web for people who had actually had this procedure. While I did eventually find a couple of forum posters, it took a while to hunt them down, and I swore at the time that I would write up my experience post-surgery. So here we are.
Before we get into the details — if you are waiting for this operation, don’t panic. The surgery is really not that bad at all. The recovery is a little uncomfortable at times and took longer than I expected, but it is nothing to fear. If I had to have the surgery again, it really wouldn’t bother me at all.
The Groin Problem that Needed Surgery
The truth is, I don’t really know what caused my groin injury. In a space of a few weeks, quite a few things happened that may have caused it, but there wasn’t one particular event that triggered it. But what I do know is that all of a sudden, it felt like one of my testicles was swollen and ready to burst, the tubes leading into it were incredibly sore, and, at times, it felt like my testicle was facing the wrong way. This pain seemed to spread up higher into my groin until there was a stabbing pain somewhere to the right of my belly button and running all the way down to my scrotum. This went on for months, and after having antibiotics, an ultrasound, and two appointments with NHS hernia specialists, I was told there was nothing they could do apart from pain killers. I wasn’t having any of that, so paid the money to go private. After seeing a urologist, I was referred to David Lloyd and within 5 minutes of seeing him, he had deduced that I needed the Lloyd release procedure as I most likely had some form of inguinal hernia.
The operation was going to be 3.5 grand private, and that little revelation hurt more than the hernia ever did! I intended to take Mr Lloyd’s diagnosis and go back to the NHS to get treatment, but then Mr Lloyd told me he did NHS referrals too. It was just a case of getting on the waiting list, or if I was lucky, getting my GP to go through some sort of fast referral scheme. I’d been going to my GP repeatedly complaining of the testicle pain for months, so I think they were glad to be rid of me, as they put me on the fast-track scheme straight-away. My appointment for the surgery was around 7 weeks after my initial consultation with Mr Lloyd.
The Day of the Lloyd Release Surgery at Nuffield Hospital, Leicester
On the day of the operation, I was nervous as hell. I’d made the mistake of referring to Dr Google in the weeks leading up to the op, and had filled my head with all sorts of horror stories about inguinal hernias, tumours, and, for me, the worst thing of all — catheters.
When my wife and I arrived at the hospital, there was a very short wait before we were guided up to my room for the day. And I have to say, it was pretty smart! I’ve paid good money to stay in hotels that were much, much worse. I think it took around 30 minutes before a nurse came around and gave me a gown and socks to wear (you have to wear those anti-thrombosis socks). Oh, and not forgetting the paper pants. Those really are a sight to behold. Then it was in to bed to wait for Mr Lloyd and the anaesthetist to pop round and tell me when they were going to carve me up. Sometime before midday, as it happens.
I must admit, I was far more nervous than I expected and I was peeing every 20 minutes without fail. Finally, the time came and they wheeled me down to the operating theatre. The worst thing about this was that the journey must have come at around my 17 minute post-pee mark, because by the time we were in the preparation area, I was dying for the toilet again. But too late, they were already at work putting me to sleep. What if I started peeing during the op? Would that mean they’d fit the dreaded catheter? Oh no..and relax, drifting off now.
Waking Up
The first thing I remember when waking up was coughing quite a lot. I’d had a general anaesthetic before and it hadn’t knocked me about, but this one seemed to have really given me a bad throat. Once I’d stopped coughing, I tried to concentrate on my groin, and I couldn’t really feel anything. I could tell it was swollen, but that was about it. I asked the nurse if it had been a hernia (as they weren’t sure) and she said yes. Back to sleep for a bit, then wheeled back upstairs to my room.
I eventually started to come around proper, and had a quick feel of the meat and two veg. Badly swollen, but not painful and it felt like the op had been a success. More importantly, no pipes, so no catheter. Phew. Then I had a look at my belly and saw where they had made the incisions for the camera and tools. Two small cuts either side of my belly button and it looked like they had also gone in through my belly button too. I wasn’t expecting that, and it was a bit sore but nothing too bad. I am a bit iffy about belly buttons and feet, so didn’t want to spend too long gawping at it.
After a while, I felt the urge to pee and that’s when it struck me that this might be make or break time. No pee could mean a catheter, so I cautiously tried to go and after some initial effort, a little dribble came out. Over the next hour or so, that process would repeat. Peeing was a very stuttered process for the first day or two.
I rested and felt fine to be honest. No pain apart from when trying to get out of bed, but even that wasn’t too bad…it was just a soreness that made me aware that I’d been cut. It is a sharp twinge that makes you stop moving that way instantly. The closest thing I can compare it to is having a bad back, where if you move and it starts the back pain, you stop moving that way immediately. So it isn’t that bad at all really.
Later in the day, Mr Lloyd came around to discuss the operation and confirm that I could go home. He told me that I had a small hernia, but the cause of my pain had been a ligament tear, which he had also fixed. I was still a little bit groggy, so didn’t think to ask how they had fixed that, and to this day I don’t know whether the ligament was stitched or replaced with a synthetic one. I guess it was stitched.
Going Home
The journey home was the worst part of the entire experience. My step-dad came to pick me up and the first few miles were fine, but then I started to get bad motion sickness. I would have had to ask him to pull over, but this was Leicester, remember, where there is a bleeding traffic light every five yards, so plenty of time to catch my breath. Closing my eyes and breathing deep was the answer.
When I got home, I walked around gingerly for a bit, making sure that the dogs didn’t jump up me, then went to bed. Lying down was fine, but it was painful to lie on my side as I usually do, so I didn’t sleep too well for the first few nights.
Recovery
The day after the op, I struggled out of bed and, as suggested, spent some time on a spin bike with no resistance. It was fine, no pain from the exercise at all. I was still very swollen around my scrotum and the right abdominal area, so I think the swelling helped. I didn’t have much energy though, so didn’t last too long.
For the first week, the only things that were painful were — getting in and out of bed, trying to put shoes and socks on, and going to the toilet was a bit tender. I was constipated for the first few days, thanks to the pain killers and I decided not to fight it. I took some stool softeners for when the time came, and that probably helped (as did the fact I ate nothing but vegetables for 3 days). Oh, sitting down for longer than 20 mins at a time was uncomfortable due to the pressure on the belly-button wound and eating while sitting down was tricky for me too. I decided to just eat standing up until the cut had healed further.
Walking was difficult but not impossible during the first week, and as long as I took it slow, I was able to get around. I went on 40 minute dog walks every day, but didn’t hold the dogs (that was left to my other half, just in case they bolted after squirrels). The pain here wasn’t in the groin, but the abdominal area, and even that wasn’t too bad. If you’ve ever done a lot of situps and felt like you strained your abs — it is that kind of feeling.
The one thing I hadn’t expected, but which happened during week #1 was severe bruising of my scrotum on the side of the operation. It didn’t hurt, but it looked like a thunderstorm was going on in my knackerbag. I’d heard of this happening with men who had a vasectomy, so I wasn’t too worried, but called the hospital to check it was normal and they said yes.
The only other thing to note was the rather disgusting removal of the dressings. The side ones were nothing more than plasters, with tiny thin scars left behind. But the belly button one has a wad of dressing in it, which is bloody, and in my case, stank to high heaven. It was a salty, coppery smell that could best be described as ‘a washed up body’. I didn’t look at my belly button for a while, just cleaned it in the shower, but I can bear it now!
2 weeks after the op and things started to take a turn for the worse. The swelling went down and my testicle felt…well, wrong. In fact, it felt just like it had before the op — as if the tubes were blocked, like the testicle was facing the wrong way, and there was a lot of tenderness in the tubes, particularly at the bottom and top. While at work, this turned into a constant throbbing with a slight burning sensation that I could feel in my back too. To me, it felt like an infection, so I went back to see the doctor. He said I had an infection of the tubes and that it was quite common after hernia surgery or any groin injury and gave me some antibiotics.
Since being on the pills, the pain has subsided completely and now it feels just like a little bit of mild nerve pain, which is what they told me to expect. That should go away after 3–6 months. Don’t be worrying about that — it really is nothing more than an ongoing mild ache. Unlike the infection — that feels like you’ve been stung on the ball by a wasp and then kicked by a horse.
I now exercise quite intensely (spin bike) with no groin problems, though I can tell it isn’t as strong as it was. I’ve not lifted weights yet, as it says 20 weeks. I do feel weaker, so I can understand that. I never realised how much you use your core muscles for pretty much any sort of lifting and stretching. Oh, that’s just reminded me of one sharp pain I had that did make me wince…I was stretching to clean a cobweb off a ceiling light fitting. Stretching upwards is not recommended during the first few weeks — it burns!
Don’t Worry!
If you are about to have the Lloyds Release procedure, don’t worry about it. The operation really isn’t bad at all and, if my experience is anything to go by, the pain afterwards isn’t bad either. I’ve certainly had worse playing sports, etc. You’re not going to be very mobile for a bit and don’t buy into that ‘you can drive after 24 hours’ line — sitting down gave me ball-ache and it was about a week before I felt anywhere near comfortable enough to put decent pressure on the pedals.Just keep an eye out for infection after the op. If you get any sort of pulsating feeling, heat, or feel a bit sick, it is probably best to see the doc.
Concerned about the mesh? Don’t be. I can’t really tell I have anything in me. At times, when I am scrunched up or not sitting properly, I can kind of feel that there’s some sort of sheet there, but it isn’t painful or uncomfortable at all. If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below. I will do my best to get back to you as soon as I can. I hope this article has been of some help.
UPDATE — OCTOBER 2016.
Unfortunately, I’ve had some problems since I originally wrote this post. After 6 months, I was more or less back to normal. But something wasn’t quite right…the right side of my groin felt tight and the nagging ache in the various tubes and cords that connect to my testicle became more bothersome. particularly when driving. I’ve seen urologists and had ultrasound scans since, and they all say there is no sign of infection or anything sinister and they suspect possible nerve damage. One GP even thinks it may be a disc problem in my back causing referred pain. I’ve been back training in the gym and notice my abductor in my right thigh doesn’t seem to respond as well as it used to and it aches went put under strain. I’m starting to wonder if there was another injury that has gone undetected. Going back to see Mr Lloyd in a couple of weeks to see if he knows what it might be — drawn a blank with the NHS who keep doing ultrasounds, finding nothing, and then suggesting pain relief as my only option. But the pain isn’t that bad, it is just that mechanically, something feels off.
A Female Patient’s Experience of the ‘Lloyd Release’ Procedure Groin Surgery
The following information comes from Yvonne White, who contacted me prior to having her operation. This is her perspective, in her own words:
I had the Lloyd Release Procedure in July 2016, as a result of a painful groin problem which continually re-occurred. My research revealed that this would appear to be a predominantly male problem, but as I have proven it can also happen to females and I thought sharing my experience may help anyone else in my situation.
Injury and Diagnosis
One day after a long run and some gym work, I knelt down to do some stretching and had a sudden sharp excruciating pain in my left groin which also extended down the inside of my leg. Once I managed to get up, I found that I was unable to walk without (what felt like) dragging my leg. I rested for a week and slowly the pain subsided and therefore I thought the problem had resolved itself. I went for a run and within a few metres the pain was back to the extent I had to stop and I was back to enforced rest. I was concerned at the immediate re-occurrence of the pain and decided to go to have some physiotherapy. A torn muscle was diagnosed with the suggested taking of Ibuprofen and rest for 10 days. This I did and the pain disappeared so I went for another run. Disaster, the pain was even worse and I went back for more physiotherapy.
After two more months the pain had not subsided and any form of exercise was out of the question. My physiotherapist suggested that my problem required more investigation and I returned to my Doctor who sent me for an ultrasound. This showed that I had a hernia and I was referred to a Consultant. I did not realise it at the time, but this referral was to be the big breakthrough for me. The Consultant agreed that I had a hernia but also thought I had a sports person’s groin injury and suspected I may need a Lloyd Release. He recommended that I be referred to Professor Lloyd. Unfortunately, the NHS waiting time was extremely long and as I had been unable to exercise for such a long period of time and was worried that the injury could not be definitely diagnosed, I decided to pay for a consultation. Within a short space of time of seeing Professor Lloyd, he confirmed that I needed a Lloyd Release and suspected I needed a Lap Release and Abductor Release. My options were either to have an operation with full recovery and back to an active life or no operation and a sedate way of life. Being a very active and fit person, the operation was the only way forward and my operation date was set for 2 weeks.
Operation at the Spires Hospital, Leicester
My operation was planned for the afternoon. Professor Lloyd came to see me before the operation and explained that the Release Procedure would be done via keyhole surgery performed under a full general anaesthetic and it would take less than one hour to perform. I would have an additional cut in my lower groin due to two ligaments being released. The operation time went by very quickly and the whole experience was seamless.
When I woke up, I was not in any pain and stayed in hospital overnight. The only issue was that my stomach was extremely swollen and it was difficult passing water.
Going Home
The next day I had breakfast and a shower, then Professor Lloyd came to see me to discuss the operation. I did ask for photographs of the operation and Professor Lloyd went through them with me — very interesting!! He told me that once all the ligaments had been freed the area was covered with a 12cm x 15cm synthetic mesh. The three tiny wounds by my belly button had been sutures and infiltrated with local anaesthetic. I also had a cut at the top of my leg. I must admit the bruising that followed was amazing and I looked like I had done five rounds with Mike Tyson!!
He confirmed the stretching and exercise regime to be followed as soon as I got home to, most importantly, prevent the ligaments joining and to aid my recovery. He also prescribed some antibiotics for 10 days and then I was discharged. I must admit I did walk very slowly to the car as my lower groin area was a bit tender, but certainly nothing to complain about.
TIP: Make sure you take your compression shorts with you to wear after the operation and certainly a MUST for the journey home. Also, if you haven’t got one, make sure you invest in a cycle turbo-trainer as you will need this the day after the operation, not to mention ice packs.
Recovery
As Professor Lloyd had stressed how important the stretching and exercise regime was,once home, I was very gingerly helped onto my turbo trainer (zero resistance setting) and then did some floor stretching. The exercise time was very short and gentle but at least I felt I had started the recovery process. The next day, eager to return to normal, I set myself a rigorous programme as follows:
Day 1
- 3 separate 3 minute sessions of stretching (each side) — followed by ice pack and rest
- 2 separate sessions of zero resistance turbo bike training — 40 minutes each time — followed by ice pack and rest
- 1 session of walking — 40 minutes — followed by ice pack and rest
.
Day 2
- 3 separate 3 minute sessions of stretching (each side) — followed by ice pack and rest
- 2 separate sessions of walking — 40 minutes each time — followed by ice pack and rest
- 1 session of zero resistance turbo bike training — 40 minutes — followed by ice pack and rest
I then alternated these days to prevent the exercise regime becoming monotonous and increased the training time and resistance on the turbo trainer as I became more flexible.
By week 3, I was stretching, turbo training, swimming breast stroke, and speed walking.
By week 4, I was stretching, turbo training, swimming 40 lengths, and running 30 minutes
By week 5, I was stretching, turbo training, swimming, running, and coastal walking.
By week 6, I felt normal!!
I must admit I did push myself and some days I did feel a little sore and perhaps that I may have overdone things. However, I gave myself a day off (except for stretching), felt much better, and resumed my regime.
Suggestions
If you feel that you may have a re-occurring groin strain and it does not improve, despite any form of treatment, ask to be referred to Professor Lloyd. If you do need an operation then, go for it (it is the best thing I did) and both the operation and rehabilitation process is nothing to worry about — just make sure you do your stretching etc and it will get you back to your normal fitness levels before you know it. Swimming (breast stroke) is also a must as I could not believe how much more flexible I felt after each session. The left side of my pubic bone was still swollen for some considerable time but didn’t cause me any discomfort. Have a look at the rehabilitation notes on the Lloyd Release website http://lloydrelease.com/rehab/ which are very informative.
After three months, I do get a few twinges in my groin from time to time, but think this is the mesh just settling down. I just manage the discomfort and adjust my routine — it certainly has not given me any cause for concern. The discomfort does not impact on my enjoyment of life or exercise.
It is very important to buy a cycle turbo trainer which is invaluable and (if you don’t have them) some compression shorts as they do give you confidence — you do get used to sleeping in them. Don’t forget to take them to wear on the way home from hospital. Also, invest in some ice packs — you will need them, probably more than you think. I did try frozen peas but the pack split and I wouldn’t recommend getting down on your knees trying to pick them up!!
Good Luck.
Yvonne
Past comments:
This post was originally hosted on my website, but I decided to move it here to medium. The following are comments (and my replies) from other people who have had/are considering the operation.
Michelle:
Thank you for these diary’s on your recovery. Very informative and helped gain confidence. Did you get better after your other pains?
Craig:
Yes, the problem I have now is nerve damage and I think that was there before the op. The op hasn’t completely resolved all symptoms, but it has stopped the most painful ones and now I just have a bit of oversensitivity. If I do weight-bearing cardio, that can take its toll on my groin and it will ache a lot, but I’d guess that’s consistent with any ligament tear — it’s never going to be as good as it was originally.
Michelle:
I actually have just had the op with lloyd so hoping for good results. I was worried with it being laparoscopic he may miss nerve issues. But glad you are feeling heaps better!
Craig:
I hope the op went okay for you, Michelle. All I can say, is be careful when you stretch for things for a while. I wouldn’t worry too much about the nerve damage. As I said, my nerve damage existed before the op … I think it was the hernia or a testicle mishap that caused that in the first place.
Tom:
I am a hernia surgeon but I do not perform any form of tendon release as I am not convinced there is any therapeutic benefit. The “Lloyd”!procedure you had done involves completely dividing your inguinal and lacuna ligaments. Unquestionably this will take tension off the muscle and aponeurotic fibres of the lower abdominal wall and therefore, at least theoretically will release tension and pain. Arguably a period of rest will allow the soft tissue injury to heal and eventually the patient could get back to normal activities without having to have any surgical intervention. The downside of doing a complete division of the inguinal ligament is that it leaves a big defect which would cause a hernia. That’s why Dr Lloyd places a large piece of mesh effectively giving you a mesh hernia repair.
My advice is that you go back to see Dr Lloyd if you have any post hernia repair groin pain so that he documents this as part of his long-term follow-up of this procedure
Craig:
Hi Tom,
Thanks for the reply. Unfortunately, I have to disagree with you. I had a period of rest — nearly 12 months — and the groin pain never lessened at all. Physiotherapy actually made it much worse. It was only out of desperation that I went private and was referred to David Lloyd in the first place. The NHS surgeon that I saw prior to that said there was no hernia, but Mr Lloyd told me that he repaired a hernia and repaired my torn ligament during surgery. Nobody on the NHS came close to diagnosing a torn ligament.
I have been back to see Mr LLoyd since the operation for a couple of steroid injections to help with nerve damage. I still have some nerve pain that seems to culminate in my testicle, but doubt there is anything that can be done about it. If you think there is, I’m all ears!
Alex:
Thanks for writing this, and in such detail. I’m considering visiting Leicester for an appointment with Dr Lloyd but wanted to do some extensive research before shelling out £4.5K. I’m a keen runner but have suffered with debilitating groin pain for ten months now and have exhausted all avenues of the NHS. Would you recommend the treatment? I see you first wrote this piece in 2015, can you advise of how you’re feeling now, four years on?
Any insight into you experience would be hugely appreciated.
Tom:
Go to a physiotherapist or a surgeon who is prepared to examine you in detail and determine whether you have adductor longus tendinopathy. This is by far and away the most common soft tissue injury in sports people. It is completely self limiting but the most important issues for you to understand are that you need to rest and avoid the exercise that precipitated the injury in the first place and that it can take up to 3 months to settle because it is very difficult for us to rest our pelvis. A short course of pelvic restabilisation physiotherapy exercises sometimes helps.
The limited literature and the extensive “blogs” on this subject are distorted by surgeons who treat elite athletes who are under pressure to get back to their sporting activities “immediately” rather than waiting for a short period to allow the injury to heal it self. Most of us are not highly paid elite athletes and even though I am a surgeon I advocate to avoid surgical intervention unless you really need it. Chronic groin pain after mesh repair is a real entity
Mark:
Hi Tom — hope this reaches you. I have had adductor longus tendinopathy for around 3 years since I got injured. Would the Lloyd release not take the tension off the area and allow the tendinopathy to settle? Tried everything else. Cheers
Andy:
I read and reread all the information on the Lloyd Release because I’ve had it, and hasn’t helped. I’m desperate for answers. Desperate to get back to feeling me again. Its been along time since I have. 4 years of going round in circles. If I could go back I wouldn’t have it done. I wish I’d explored more options. Gilmores Groin surgery may have been one option… but I don’t know.
Caroline:
Yvonne I’m so happy for you that you are over your op . I have the same as you but I don’t know why it happened. I had spine surgery done last September and after 2 days I had this awful pain . Antibiotics drips . Hip check etc . 15 days in hosp dublin , then brought back 10 days later for 5 days on excruciating pain and no let down . Seen more doctors etc . 5 days later sent home and nothing done , shocking, so decided to see another doctor in a different place and knew straight away I had Lloyds ligaments torn . So march next month having it done . I have screws from L3 to S1 as all my disc removed . To me it came all of a sudden the pain two days later so my heart is telling me its after operation . So Yvonne what do you think ? Yvonne does it take a few months to heal . I had a enough already from doctors. Is that the spire bushey hospital in London you had it done . Take care Yvonne and please come back with you advice.
Will:
I had a lloyd release in September 18. I did not see any improvement to my symptoms after initial recovery. I emailed Prof Lloyd 2 months after the op and he suggested I come and have a cortisone injection. I decided to wait for a few months as I understood that a steroid injection only reduced inflammation and hoped that this would happen naturally. I am now nine months into recovery and every time I try to get back into training I get pain in the ligament. I would say that the pain is a lot more than it was pre op. I have to add that I have never contacted Prof Lloyd to see what he suggested or if there was an alternative to the cortisone injection. I got the impression from him that this was the only post op treatment. It is very difficult to know who to go to for quality impartial advice in this situation. I have been told by a physio that the problem is not in the ligament but stems from imbalance in my lower back. Who knows.
Craig: I had similar problems, Will, although my pain was not worse. The post-op treatment isn’t good enough. The cortisone injections did help me, and I had to have two, and I also went to a chiropractor who really helped loosen up the groin area. The combination of both eventually got me to a point where I can go to the gym and train, but even now, some years later, I don’t fully trust the ligament to bear up under a lot of pressure. I notice it gets sore if I do any running, but cycling is ok.
Justin:
hi ,I had the llyods procedure 12 days ago and I’m a keen runner like alex,after 2–3 days of feeling battered I did start to do some non resistant bike work and within 6 days felt comfortable enough to ride on the road s with out any pain whilst on the bike i ve done 20 miles every other day however the overall pain I had b4 the op still seems the same ,ive a consultation with prof llyod tues to hopefully put my mind at rest and just to tell me its to quick too soon
your advice on here has been great
many thanks
Will:
I have now had an MRI scan and it showed arthtitis and a cyst on my hip and also damage to my ileopsoas muscle and the attached tendon. The sports injury specialist ( GB Olympic team doctor) was shocked that I had a Lloyd Release done before any MRI had been carried out to determine other possible causes of the problem.
Did anyone else get a scan before having this procedure carried out?
Craig:
I had scans before, but they didn’t show up anything.
Tony:
I’m a professional brass player and had the Lloyd Release back in 2016 following lower abdominal and groin pain while blowing down the instrument. The results have been terrible — wish I’d never had it done.
Have been to see many other surgeons since trying to find a solution, who have told me that nerve damage was sustained during the Lloyd procedure. I have pain just sitting down, let alone trying to play my instrument! I have had to retrain the way I play but it’s not as it was before. I didn’t find the follow up care provided adequate, yet the “sales” part of the operation was very keen. Be careful if you are considering this. Many professional medics have told me it’s a vanity procedure created by the surgeon.
Craig:
I’m not sure about the validity of the surgery. I know that if I had been left to the NHS, I’d have had no treatment beyond pain relief and I’d be hobbling around with a torn ligament still. But it does seem that several people suffer some form of nerve damage. I’d have to agree that the follow-up care is nowhere near good enough. Pro athletes don’t need it because they get it from their clubs, but the rest of us need it, for sure.
Ross:
I had my Lloyd Release back in 2015. I had been suffering from groin pain for a few years and thought I would see This David Lloyd surgeon. At first meeting with Dr Lloyd, I explained my pain areas and how it happened and within seconds he said that I badly needed a Lloyd Release. I was quite taken back his abrupt approach, however I thought I would take a chance.
On the day of the operation, I thought Dr Lloyd was very rushed and didn’t stay in my company for very long , its as if he was preoccupied with something else more important. After the operation I was in a lot of pain in my groin and very sore, which I wasn’t prepare for as Dr Lloyd said its was a quick and simply procedure. I wasn’t to impressed with the aftercare, has the months went on I was still struggling with the pain and contacted the hospital, however they were not that concerned and told me to take some painkillers.
A year after the operation, having no positive results and in reality making my pain symptoms worst, I saw another doctor who after some diagnostic tests said that I have a tear in my abdominal muscles which had nothing to do with what Dr Lloyd had done. You can imagine the despair I was in, but I just put it down to experience.
So I can not recommend the Lloyd Release Procedure to anyone, it does seem to be a bit of a gimmick that this surgeon has create and wants to sell it. So be very careful before making a decision.
Tom Harling:
As a previous patient of Dr Lloyd I can conclude that this doctor is a very untrustworthy, reckless old butcher of a surgeon.
When I went to see him years ago, he assessed my pain, which I told him it was coming from the front of my thigh where the major hip flexors are located, he was not that interested. He quickly moved on from that and pushed his hand hard into my groin area just below my belly button and he then asked me ‘does that hurt’? I did not say anything at this point only a slight moan and a facial expression of slight discomfort. He then walked off and sat at his desk and said, ‘well I can help you’ and then he just did this sales pitch presentation to me, explaining that I needed this operation he does and that the pain was coming from the inguinal ligaments. He also made a special deal with the price and that he has knocked £500 off the operation fee.
So at this point Dr Lloyd has diagnosed me with strain of the inguinal ligaments. Now I previously told him that the pain was at the front of my thigh where the hip flexors are located, however, he didn’t inform me of this in the consultation that they are ‘separate conditions’ so I had the understanding that I had hip flexor pain which is caused by the strain on the inguinal ligament when actually it was a strain of the iliopsoas tendon. Dr Lloyd on purpose, ignored that fact that I actually had a tight painful iliopsoas’s tendon, but because he doesn’t do that operation on that tendon, he thought maybe I can convince this patient to think that its coming from the inguinal ligament because I deal with that area and I can operate and get lots of money. Later, in the consultation, I also mentioned that I have pain on the inside of my legs, but I wasn’t really sure on the exacted location of the pain. Dr Lloyd at this point put his hand on me and squeezed the inside of my leg. Within 3 seconds he said, ‘oh that your adductors, I’ll release them too’ and then swung back to his deck and quickly booked me in to have two operations.
So left Leicester spire lea hospital, with the idea that my pain with my hips will all be sorted out and I can continue enjoying my sports again. I felt thinking I was in good hands and the doctor sounded that he knew what was best for me and wanted to help.
The day of the operation come up. I was shown to my room and was told that Dr Lloyd will be visiting me soon. So, I laid there in the bed for a while and then Dr Lloyd came through the door. He did not say hello, he just asked ‘what am I having done today’? I just repeated what he said to me in the consultation which was ‘inguinal ligament release and adductor release’ he then just said ‘won’t be long now’ and then walked off! Before he could close to door to leave I said, ‘Excuse me’ he just popped his head inside the door and said ‘oh, you have some questions!’ I said yes and asked what this mesh was you’re going to put in? he just replied with ‘oh its nothing, it just sit in-between the muscles and ligaments’ and then he hurried off and closed the door before I could ask anything else. he was acting very elusive and avoided me at all costs. I did not see him again after that. I did have concerns about it all, but if I want to get better this is what it takes, I was trying to put a brave face on.
I was taken down to the operating theatre and was told by the team of assistants that everything is fine you are in good hands. I was put to sleep and next minute I woke up was in my bed back in my room.
The pain was unbearable, and I was sore all down my stomach and legs. I could not sit up it was that painful. Then much later Dr Lloyd walked in and said, ‘I have released your inguinal ligament and your pectineal ligament and adductors as well, you were very tight’ and when he walked off probably spent 7 seconds with me. Despite the amount of pain if was in I was discharged and could go home. I did the post operation exercises and stretches, and I would say it took about 6 -8 weeks to fully recover from the soreness from the operation. However, I knew the operation Dr Lloyd did not make things better and I was in the same situation. I went to see my GP and explained what had happened. My GP said ‘oh you have a letter from Dr Lloyd on the system’ I red the letter and it highlighted that the iliopsoas tendon at the front of my thigh was the likely cause of my hip pain, however, Dr Lloyd also said that I had problems with my inguinal ligaments as well. This is not what he told me in the consultation with him. So, he had mislead me the whole time, making my pain symptoms in my hip fit into his fantastic ‘Lloyd release operation’. So basically he changed his story in the letter to my GP and told me a different story in the consultation with him in Leicester.
I phoned up the Leicester spire hospital and spoke to Lynne Haddon his secretary and explained that I was still in pain from where I said my pain was coming from the front of my thigh and this is what she said ‘It’s nothing to do with us, go to your GP’ and she hung up the phone.
Now, does this sound like a caring and honourable team, who are there to look after you throughout your treatment before, during and after, I don’t think so. The whole team are aware of
what Dr Lloyd’s is up too, and they help to protect him from any complaints or major acts of negligence. It is just a corrupt system that you would not aspect from a doctor especially in this country or anyway.
It quite hard to explain so here is a link to my video on youtube, which explains it further.
https://youtu.be/0tFZJ50-_oA
Anyway, this is what happened to me and I feel that it only right to tell others, so it doesn’t happen to them.
My final words are, do not trust this David Lloyd surgeon at the Leicester spire lea. he is a conman and is only after your money and making profit for himself and the hospital. He takes advantage of your pain symptoms are convinces you that they are coming from somewhere else which happens to be an area of your body that he treats. Doing this to innocent people who are not expertise on the human body and taking advantage of them. If you are professional sportsman or women such as ‘Jamie Vardy’ and ‘Michael Carrick’ then Dr Lloyd treats them properly because his reputation would be on the line if he took advantage of these elite individuals and he would get a huge legal fine and probably lose is license to be a doctor. On the other hand, if you are like me and just enjoy sport for fun then that is a big green flag to Dr Lloyd to take advantage of you and get you to have his operation without any real evidence that you need it. He performed no scans or injections to test his diagnosis it was all guess work. It is rather worrying that you can go and see Dr Lloyd, step into his office and I guarantee you he will tell you or persuade you that you have ligaments problems even if they are perfectly healthy ligaments, he will find a way to convince you. He knows that if he doesn’t, he will have to wave goodbye to your money, which he badly wants. He does not care at all if the procedure works for you, you are just a number. He will try convincing you to have the procedure just because he has got some free spaces which need filling on his clinic dates. At the end of the year, he just clocks up all the profits he is making from butchering all those patients who were relying on him.
So please, please be careful, any questions on my comments or anything you want to discuss just ask.