A RETIRED social worker has conquered an American mountain the same height as Ben Nevis – just six months after knee replacement surgery.

Helen Armstrong, from Darlington, challenged herself to tackle a gruelling climb to the summit of the 4,397ft tall Shenandoah Mountain in West Virginia.

The punishing hike was dedicated to Ms Armstrong’s consultant, Anwar Jafri, of Nuffield Health Tees Hospital, after she underwent total knee replacements in both her legs.

The Darlington woman had suffered with limited mobility and pain in her right knee before she was referred to Mr Jafri in 2013.

And a one year check-up following her initial surgery revealed that Ms Armstrong had severe symptoms of osteoarthritis in her left knee.

Ms Armstrong said: “I was in a lot of pain prior to my first knee surgery, mainly in my right knee, which made it uncomfortable to walk any distance and it was difficult to do the simplest of tasks.

“The surgery went well and I thought nothing more of it as my recovery was going well, so I was shocked to find out that I would need another replacement operation.”

But the life-changing surgery has now seen Ms Armstrong conquer the mountain that is known for being steep and narrow along its ridge.

Ms Armstrong said: “It was a fantastic personal achievement as I was determined to do a walk of some kind on top of taking in the sights of Washington D.C., which involved a lot of walking.

“We were staying at a hotel 3,500ft, so I decided to hike the rest of the way which was very challenging and difficult, but I was so proud when I reached the summit.”