Mr Richard Cove

Mr Richard Cove is a consultant orthopaedic surgeon specialising in knee, foot and ankle conditions. He has worked as a consultant in North Devon since 2012 and was previously Clinical Lead for Trauma and Orthopaedics at North Devon District Hospital. His knee practice includes the assessment and treatment of early knee arthritis, meniscal and cartilage problems, knee arthroscopy, partial knee replacement and total knee replacement. His MSc focused on early osteoarthritis of the knee, and he has a particular interest in helping patients understand the full range of non-operative and surgical options before deciding on treatment. His foot and ankle practice includes bunions, lesser-toe problems, arthritis of the great toe, ankle impingement, ankle arthroscopy, foot and ankle arthritis, deformity correction and selected fusion procedures. He completed specialist fellowship training in knee surgery in Bristol and foot and ankle surgery in Ireland. He has also been closely involved in developing day-case and short-stay surgical pathways, introducing local anaesthetic infiltration techniques for knee replacements, and day-case foot and ankle surgery to North Devon. Mr Cove aims to give patients a clear explanation of the diagnosis, the available choices and the likely benefits and limitations of treatment. Surgery is recommended where it is likely to offer a meaningful improvement and after appropriate alternatives have been considered.

• Early osteoarthritis of the knee • Knee pain, meniscal tears and cartilage problems • Knee arthroscopy • Partial knee replacement, including unicompartmental knee replacement • Total knee replacement • Patellofemoral arthritis and patellofemoral knee replacement • Bunion correction and forefoot surgery • Great-toe arthritis and great-toe fusion • Lesser-toe deformity and fusion • Ankle pain, impingement and ankle arthroscopy • Foot and ankle arthritis • Midfoot and hindfoot reconstruction • Ankle fusion • Day-case and enhanced-recovery orthopaedic surgery