For Sunshine Coast local Stuart, staying active has always been an important part of life.
The 58-year-old has been competing in triathlons since he was 20, including several Ironman events, and typically trains five or six days a week.
“Training is really important to me, not only for my physical health but my mental health as well,” says Stuart.
But for the past eight years, osteoarthritis in his right knee had increasingly made doing what he loves more difficult.
Living with knee pain
Stuart was diagnosed with moderate arthritis on the medial side of his right knee, alongside a missing meniscus after experiencing knee pain, particularly when running.
Over time, the condition began to have a noticeable impact on his everyday life and ability to train.
“Sometimes it would cause me to limp, and it certainly limited my ability to run and train as hard as I would like for triathlon events,” says Stuart.
Stuart explored several approaches to help manage his symptoms, including anti-inflammatory medication, a cortisone injection and hyaluronic acid injections into the joint.
While anti-inflammatories provided some relief in the earlier years, Stuart says the injections did not help him.
He was keen to explore another option when his daughter, a radiation therapist, told him about low dose radiotherapy.
“She mentioned it to me and it appeared that patients were having a significant improvement in their pain levels,” says Stuart.
“Considering I hadn’t had much luck with other treatments, I was keen to give it a go and was hopeful it would make a difference.”
Getting back to running
For Stuart, the difference following treatment at Icon Cancer Centre Noosa has been significant.
“It has worked very well,” says Stuart.
“Before treatment I had this sharp, catching feeling in my knee when I was walking. That disappeared, and I’ve been able to increase my running mileage by around 50%.”
Most importantly, the improvement has helped Stuart get back to enjoying the sport that has been such a big part of his life.
He recently achieved first place in his age group at a triathlon and is now looking forward to putting himself to the test again at the Noosa Triathlon.
“I’m hopeful I can achieve a better time than I have in recent years.”
More time for the things that matter
Stuart and his wife of 35 years moved from New Zealand to Australia 22 years ago with their two children in search of a warmer lifestyle.
Today, he is retired and a proud grandfather, giving him more time to enjoy life on the Sunshine Coast and, of course, train for his next event.
With triathlon having been part of his life for nearly four decades, being able to keep moving means a lot.
For Stuart, low dose radiotherapy has helped him return to doing more of what he loves.
“I’m running more again and getting back to where I want to be,” he says. “That’s been a great result for me.”