Elbow arthroscopy for arthritis in ATOS Orthoparc Clinic Cologne

About the department

According to the medical Focus magazine, the Department of Shoulder Surgery and Hand Surgery at the ATOS Orthoparc Clinic Cologne is one of the best medical facilities in Germany with outstanding achievements in shoulder surgery! 

The department offers a full range of conservative and surgical treatments for diseases and traumatic injuries of the shoulder joint and hand. Shoulder surgery specialists treat omarthrosis, shoulder impingement, rotator cuff ruptures, shoulder dislocations, frozen shoulder, and other pathologies. Hand surgery is represented by a qualified team of physicians whose areas of expertise include the treatment of rhizarthrosis, finger joint arthrosis, carpal tunnel syndrome, epicondylitis, Dupuytren's disease, and trigger finger. The first-line treatment is comprehensive conservative therapy using oral medications, injections, physiotherapy, and other therapeutic modalities. If a course of conservative therapy does not produce the desired results, surgery is considered. Shoulder and hand surgery is performed using minimally invasive arthroscopic techniques.

The Head Physician of the department is Prof. Dr. med. Knut Beitzel. The specialist has more than 15 years of successful clinical experience and numerous professional achievements. Prof. Beitzel worked for a long time at the University Hospital Rechts der Isar Munich, where he gained invaluable experience. He holds a top position in the ranking of experts in shoulder surgery and sports traumatology by the German medical magazine Focus. In addition, he has received a 5-star rating from the online resource Jameda based on patient reviews, the highest indicator of patient confidence.

Shoulder surgeons frequently treat patients with shoulder impingement. This pathological condition is characterized by repeated pinching of the rotator cuff and biceps tendons between the head of the humerus and the acromion of the scapula during arm movement. The main manifestation of the disease is pain: in the early stages of shoulder impingement, patients experience acute pain in the shoulder area when moving the arm, in the advanced stages, pain is also present at rest and significantly increases at night. At the diagnostic stage, when shoulder impingement is suspected, the department's physicians review the patient's medical history and perform a clinical examination and imaging tests: digital radiography, ultrasound and/or magnetic resonance imaging. As for the treatment, the department's specialists prefere conservative therapy: doctors prescribe oral medications, local injection therapy, therapeutic exercises, electrotherapy, cryotherapy, and other procedures. Surgery is performed using arthroscopic techniques through millimeter incisions and takes 30-60 minutes.

An integral part of daily clinical practice is the treatment of shoulder arthrosis (omarthrosis). This is a chronic disease in which irreversible degenerative and dystrophic processes occur in the tissues, resulting in impaired joint function. Omarthrosis causes severe pain and stiffness in the shoulder, and the range of motion of the shoulder gradually decreases to complete immobility. Without treatment, the patient is at risk of disability. The standard diagnostic protocol for suspected omarthrosis includes a clinical examination with an assessment of the shoulder joint function, digital radiography, ultrasound, and/or MRI. If the diagnosis is confirmed, the department's specialists begin to develop a treatment regimen. In the case of mild to moderate arthrosis, the department's doctors use only conservative treatment, which may include drug therapy, electrotherapy, acupuncture, local cryotherapy or heat therapy, and other methods. In case of severe damage to the cartilaginous tissues of the shoulder joint, the doctors of the department perform injection therapy with autologous plasma or hyaluronic acid. The last-line treatment is arthroplasty, in which the affected shoulder joint is partially or totally replaced with a prosthesis. The success of the surgical procedure depends largely on the professionalism of the surgeon, as shoulder replacement surgery is not a common procedure. Therefore, not every hospital has surgeons with experience in this field. The specialists of the department regularly perform shoulder replacement surgery, so they can guarantee the best results.

The department also offers a well-developed hand surgery service. Specialists in this area treat carpal tunnel syndrome, finger arthrosis, rhizarthrosis, epicondylitis, trigger finger, and Dupuytren's contracture. Of particular clinical interest to the department's medical team is the treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome. The disease occurs as a result of intramuscular, interosseous, or intertendinous entrapment of the median nerve in the wrist. Its main symptoms are numbness of the fingers, decreased sensitivity of the hand, and burning pain in the palm radiating into the fingers. As the carpal tunnel syndrome progresses, the patient may have difficulty with hand movements: holding a cell phone or a book with the affected hand, holding onto the upper handrail during transportation, and so on. During the diagnosis, the patient undergoes clinical examination, radiography and electroneuromyography. If the pathology is diagnosed in time, conservative treatment is applied, including the use of analgesics, special splints, acupuncture, ultrasound therapy, and kinesiotaping. In complex clinical situations, the department's doctors perform arthroscopic surgery called median nerve decompression.

The department's main clinical focuses include the following:

• Shoulder surgery
  • Diagnostics and treatment of shoulder arthrosis (omarthrosis)
  • Diagnostics and treatment of shoulder impingement
  • Diagnostics and treatment of rotator cuff ruptures
  • Diagnostics and treatment of shoulder dislocations
  • Diagnostics and treatment of frozen shoulder
• Hand surgery
  • Diagnostics and treatment of rhizarthrosis
  • Diagnostics and treatment of finger joint arthrosis
  • Diagnostics and treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome
  • Diagnostics and treatment of epicondylitis
  • Diagnostics and treatment of Dupuytren's contracture
  • Diagnostics and treatment of trigger finger
• Diagnosis and treatment of other shoulder and hand diseases

The department's range of medical services includes the following:

• Conservative treatment methods
  • Drug therapy with oral medications
  • Local injection therapy, including autologous plasma or hyaluronic acid injections
  • Therapeutic exercises
  • Electrotherapy
  • Cryotherapy
  • Acupuncture
  • Local cryotherapy and heat therapy
  • Ultrasound therapy
  • Kinesiotaping
• Surgical treatment methods
  • Arthroscopic procedures
• Other medical services