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Ken’s story

Beefeater Ken Bryant is back on his feet after hip surgery and a bone graft to repair a broken bone in his right thigh. The operation at The Royal London Hospital meant Ken, 64, could return to his job of 25 years as a yeoman warder at the Tower of London.  

Ken suffered from psoriatic arthritis, an inflammatory condition affecting the joints, and needed hip replacement operations on both hips in the late 1990s. 

A few years later, his right hip was redone after bone crumbling due to the arthritis caused the artificial joint to become loose.

In December 2004, Ken had more problems with his right hip when he fell getting out of the bath. Doctors suspected a strained muscle or tendon and he was prescribed painkillers.

But when there was no improvement, x-rays showed a fracture in Ken’s right thigh bone. In February 2005, he underwent a five-hour operation performed by Mr Gareth Scott, a consultant orthopaedic surgeon at Barts and The London. Mr Scott gave Ken a replacement hip and also grafted bone onto his thigh to repair the fracture.

Ken was able to return to work in July 2005 and has not been off sick since.  And in January 2007, he was awarded the Royal Victoria Medal in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours in recognition of his long service at the tower and to reward his determination and efforts to return to work following his operations.

Now Ken, a former band sergeant major, has a yearly check-up at The Royal London.  X-rays in March 2007 showed his bone density had increased as a result of the bone graft. 

“The medical and nursing staff were very supportive,” says Ken.  “They encouraged me to stay positive and this helped my recovery.  Fortunately, although being a yeoman warder is a physical job, I’ve been able to continue working – I just use a walking stick and move around a bit rather than stand still for too long.”

What is a hip replacement?

Hip replacement is one of the most common operations in the UK. It involves the removal of parts of the bones that make up the hip and their replacement with artificial hip parts. As a result, pain and stiffness will improve or go away completely and the patient has more mobility.