A film maker was in agony and thought he would never enjoy an active life again until surgeons put a contact lens in his big toe.

Kenny Rye, 39, developed a problem after he was involved in a motorbike accident nearly 20 years ago.

He made a good recovery but over the past four years his big toe became painful when he walked.

Mr Rye, from Worthing, then uncovered details about pioneering surgery which uses a specialist technique borrowed from contact lenses.

He went under the knife and says it has been a complete success.

He said: "When I had the crash I thought I was paralysed at first but then movement gradually came back to me.

"There was no visible damage but I had a severe pain in my right foot and I was taken to Worthing Hospital where doctors discovered I had broken a couple of joints including my big toe.

"They wanted to put my foot in a plaster cast for a month, but in those days bodybuilding meant the world to me and I had a big competition in six weeks.

"So I told them not to, but to bandage it instead.

"The doctors reluctantly agreed but warned I might have problems later on, such as an ache in my foot from time to time."

For around 16 years the toe did not cause any problems but then Mr Rye noticed the toe looked swollen and became very painful if he walked for more than five minutes.

His GP thought it was a bunion but advised against surgery because the procedure can be extremely painful and Mr Rye would not have been able to walk for six weeks afterwards.

A friend then told him about the work carried out by German consultant orthopaedic surgeon Dieter Nollau who was doing successful operations on people with painful toes.

Mr Rye met up with Dr Nollau for a consultation and the surgeon diagnosed osteoarthritis.

He said: "I was shocked. I associated osteoarthritis with older people, but he explained it can happen to younger people too, especially if they've suffered trauma to the affected joint.

"He said that within a year the joint would fuse together and I wouldn't be able to walk at all.

"My cartilage, the protective tissue which should have ensured smooth movement, was being pushed out by the bone, causing friction and pain."

With conventional surgery Mr Rye would have the toe joint fused together using wires and metal plates which would stop the pain but leave the toe rigid and with the possibility of painful symptoms recurring.

Dr Nollau had already been carrying out an alternative technique in Germany which involved using a gel-like material called SaluCartilage.

It is made from a similar substance to that used to make soft contact lenses and even under pressure and friction it does not wear.

Dr Nollau carried out the operation on Mr Rye, the first to be done in the UK, at Goring Hall Hospital in Worthing.

During surgery he made a four centimetre incision at the top of the toe, cleared away the cartilage and filled it in with the SaluCartilage before stitching it up again.

The operation took 25 minutes and two hours later Mr Rye was walking home.

Dr Nollau said: "The speed of the surgery, the pain-free healing period and the fact that the patient can put weight on the joint immediately as well as recover mobility are all great positives for this operation."

Mr Rye, who is married to Lisa, 26, said: "I had been forced to adapt my lifestyle and give up the running and the long walks but now I am back doing them again, I'm training for a triathlon and I've got my quality of life back.

"The more people know about this surgery being available the better. It gives people a real choice."

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siobhan.ryan@theargus.co.uk