Department of Adult and Pediatric Orthopedics, Traumatology, Hand Surgery, Sports Orthopedics - Helios Hospital Munich West

About the Department of Adult and Pediatric Orthopedics, Traumatology, Hand Surgery, Sports Orthopedics at Helios Hospital Munich West

The Department of Adult and Pediatric Orthopedics, Traumatology, Hand Surgery, Sports Orthopedics at the Helios Hospital Munich West offers the full range of medical services to the patients suffering from musculoskeletal diseases and injuries of any severity. The department's doctors have a perfect command of both conservative and surgical treatment methods. Whenever possible, the specialists try to avoid surgery, but if conservative treatment does not give good results, the doctors still resort to surgery. The department keeps pace with medical innovations, and thus most of the operations on the musculoskeletal system are performed using minimally invasive techniques. After such surgical procedures, the patient can recover in the shortest possible time. The department's medical team works in strict accordance with the requirements of the German and European professional societies. The department is headed by Dr. med. Alexander Manolopoulos.

The key focus of clinical practice is on joint replacement surgery. The department successfully performs surgery to replace knee, hip, shoulder, elbow and wrist joints, including revision surgery to replace endoprostheses. As of today, joint replacement surgery is performed using minimally invasive techniques, while open interventions are extremely rare. Minimally invasive procedures are the most beneficial for the patient, since they do not require a long recovery period after surgery. When performing laparoscopic interventions, the doctor makes several small skin incisions, through which he inserts special miniature instruments into the joint cavity. The image of the operating field is transmitted on a large screen with multiple zooming, thanks to which the surgeon can clearly see all the anatomical structures. Such an approach improves the accuracy and safety of the surgical intervention. The department uses only high-quality endoprostheses distinguished by a long service life (15-20 years). Joint replacement surgery is the only effective method for relieving pain and restoring movement. Depending on the degree of joint lesion, the orthopedists recommend the patient either partial or total joint replacement surgery. Partial joint replacement surgery involves the replacement of only worn out parts of the joint, for example, femoral head or joint cavity, while total replacement surgery involves the replacement of the entire joint with an endoprosthesis. The department's specialists have already performed thousands of successful joint replacement surgeries, and therefore the patients can be sure that their health is in the reliable hands of experienced professionals in their medical specialty.

The department's specialists are also proud of their outstanding achievements in the field of hand surgery. The medical facility provides both conservative and surgical treatment of many hand pathologies, including carpal tunnel syndrome, Dupuytren's contracture, ganglion, traumatic injuries, inflammatory diseases, congenital hand malformations in children, etc. The ​​department's competence also includes hand replantation surgery.

The department is certified by the German Trauma Society and has the status of a regional Trauma Center, therefore it admits patients with injuries of varying severity. The department's emergency medical service operates 24 hours a day. When admitted to the department, the patient undergoes all the required diagnostic examinations, including X-ray, CT and MRI scans. This allows the doctors to make an accurate diagnosis and prescribe an optimal treatment regimen. The department's traumatologists also have exceptional expertise in the treatment of sports injuries. Should surgical intervention be required, the preference will be given to arthroscopic and minimally invasive surgery, after which the patient can quickly restore mobility and return to everyday life. The patients are also provided with the services of experienced physiotherapists who select the optimal set of physical exercises, contributing to the effective mobilization after the injury.

The department’s service range includes:

• Elbow and shoulder surgery
  • Correction of elbow and shoulder instability 
  • Superficial elbow and shoulder replacement (partial and total)
  • Elbow and shoulder joint replacement surgery
  • Conservative and surgical treatment of fractures
  • Elbow and shoulder injuries (trauma-related and degenerative ones)
• Hand surgery
  • Carpal tunnel syndrome
  • Trigger fingers
  • Dupuytren's contracture
  • Tendovaginitis
  • Wrist and hand ganglion
  • Soft tissue and bone cysts or tumors
  • Ligament rupture, for example, on the thumb, and its complications
  • Fresh tendon injuries
  • Long-term complications of tendon injuries
  • Rhizarthrosis
  • Tennis elbow and golfer's elbow
  • Radial fractures and their late complications
  • Wrist fracture and its complications
  • Fractures of the metacarpal bone and fingers, their late complications
  • Reconstructive plastic surgery to eliminate posttraumatic soft tissue defects 
  • Joint replacement surgery in the case of posttraumatic and rheumatic joint changes
  • Hand malformations in children
  • Sudeck's atrophy
  • Hand and finger inflammations
  • Nail surgery 
  • Microsurgical replantation methods in the case of traumatic amputation
• Foot surgery (diagnostics and treatment of foot and ankle diseases, deformities)
• Knee, hip, shoulder, elbow and wrist replacement surgery
  • Minimally invasive interventions
  • Revision interventions
• Pain therapy for chronic back and joint pain
• Physiotherapy
• Spinal surgery (in collaboration with neurosurgeons)
• Diagnostics, conservative and surgical treatment of sports injuries
• Plastic reconstructive interventions
• Emergency medical services
• Other medical services

Photo of the doctor: (c) Helios Klinikum München West