Department of Orthopedics, Traumatology, Foot Surgery and Spinal Surgery - Martin Luther Hospital Berlin

About the Department of Orthopedics, Traumatology, Foot Surgery and Spinal Surgery at Martin Luther Hospital Berlin

According to the reputable Focus magazine, the Department of Orthopedics, Traumatology, Foot Surgery and Spinal Surgery at the Martin Luther Hospital Berlin ranks among the top departments in Germany specializing in the treatment of musculoskeletal diseases!

The department offers the full range of modern diagnostics and treatment of skeletal, joint, tendon and muscle diseases, as well as musculoskeletal injuries. The medical facility was founded in 1974 and became one of the pioneers in its areas of specialization in Germany. As of today, all classical and innovative conservative and surgical treatment methods that have proven themselves all over the world are available here. The excellent quality of the medical services provided in the department is awarded with various certificates, including the endoCert certificate and the PRIMO MEDICO certificate. Based on an independent assessment of patients on the eKomi online resource, the medical facility also holds a leading position among German Orthopedic Centers.

The department is headed by Prof. Dr. med. Wolf Petersen, who has repeatedly been ranked among the top German doctors in the field of knee surgery and sports orthopedics according to the Focus magazine! In addition, the specialist is recognized as one of the best orthopedists in Berlin in the Leading Medicine Guide rating and is a holder of a certificate of the German Knee Society (DKG).

The department offers the services of a modern Joint Replacement Center, which successfully performs operations to partially and totally replace the knee, hip, shoulder and ankle joints. In 2014, the center became one of the first in Berlin to receive the Endocert certificate – the leading quality certificate in the field of endoprosthetics worldwide. Orthopedists, traumatologists, anesthesiologists and rehabilitation specialists work hand in hand at the Joint Replacement Center, which guarantees its patients comprehensive medical care. Most arthroplasty procedures are performed using sparing minimally invasive techniques, which results in a rapid wound healing and the patients can return to their normal life in the shortest possible time. After the operation, experienced physiotherapists work with the patients. Their efforts are aimed at strengthening muscles and quickly restoring mobility. Each patient receives an individual treatment regimen, which is developed taking into account his clinical case, the severity of joint damage, age, general health condition and other factors. It should be noted that the Joint Replacement Center regularly admits foreign patients, which indicates the highest quality of medical services.

Orthopedics also focuses on the conservative and arthroscopic treatment of knee, hip, elbow and shoulder pathologies. Arthroscopic interventions are characterized by minimal trauma, but at the same time they can effectively get rid of cartilage lesions, impingement syndromes, ligament tears, rotator cuff tears, shoulder dislocations, etc. The essence of the arthroscopic procedure is to make two miniature incisions in the area of ​​the affected joint, through which an arthroscope, a special endoscopic instrument with a video camera, is inserted into the joint cavity. The arthroscope allows the orthopedist to see all the intra-articular structures  on the screen in a multiple zoom and to perform the necessary therapeutic manipulations, if required. The period of hospitalization after the arthroscopic intervention does not exceed 3 days, which is a great advantage for the patient.

Traumatology is an integral part of the department's clinical practice. The department deals with the treatment of musculoskeletal injuries, including multiple injuries, sports injuries and injuries in the elderly, the treatment of which requires a special competence from doctors. The department's specialists also have vast experience in the treatment of osteoporotic fractures. The treatment may involve the use of both conservative and surgical techniques, depending on the severity of the injury.

The department's orthopedists are also responsible for foot surgery. The department has modern equipment for comprehensive diagnostics of the foot, based on the results of which an individual treatment regimen is developed for the patient. The medical facility mostly admits the patients with pathologies such as Achilles tendon ruptures, heel spurs, hallux rigidus, hallux valgus, ankle cartilage lesions, deformities of the little finger, etc. In many cases, the specialists manage to use only conservative treatment methods: physiotherapy and wearing special orthopedic shoes. However, some situations still require a surgical intervention, which is usually performed using low-traumatic microsurgical techniques.

The department also offers a wide range of services in the field of spinal surgery. When a patient comes to the department with complaints of back pain, the doctor carries out a clinical examination, after which he usually prescribes the necessary imaging tests: CT or MRI scanning and/or myelography. Whenever possible, the doctors use only drug therapy and physiotherapeutic procedures, while minimally invasive surgical interventions are performed in more complex cases. The specialists in this field most often treat patients with chronic back pain, spinal stenosis, vertebral traumatic injuries and fractures, spinal instability, post-traumatic spinal deformities, etc.

The department's main clinical activities include:

• Orthopedics
  • Joint replacement surgery
    • Hip replacement surgery
    • Knee replacement surgery
    • Shoulder replacement surgery
    • Ankle replacement surgery
    • Revision interventions to replace the previously implanted prostheses (for example, in a case of loosening of the prosthesis elements, infection, etc.)
  • Arthroscopy
    • Knee arthroscopy
      • Interventions on the meniscus: partial meniscus resection, meniscus suturing, meniscus replacement and transplantation
      • Interventions on the cartilages: cartilage curettage, microfracturing, refixation of osteochondral fractures, matrix-induced autologous chondrocyte implantation (MACI), matrix-induced chondrogenesis (AMIC), corrective osteotomy
      • Interventions on the cruciate ligaments: arthroscopic double-bundle anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction with the semitendinosus tendon, patellar tendon transplantation with a minimally invasive technique or the Pressfit technique, revision interventions, replacement of the posterior cruciate ligament with the semitendinosus tendon, reconstructive interventions for multiple ligament injuries
      • Removal of the periarticular muscles
      • Arthrolysis
      • Arthroscopic lavage
    • Shoulder arthroscopy
      • Subacromial decompression
      • Restoration of the rotator cuff in a case of its tear
      • Bankart procedure
    • Wrist arthroscopy
      • Resection of the disc of the wrist joint
    • Elbow and hip arthroscopy
      • Removal of free intra-articular bodies
      • Arthroscopic lavage
      • Arthrolysis
  • Cancer surgery
    • Resection of benign connective and bone tissue tumors
    • Total resection of primary bone and soft tissue sarcomas in combination with a limb reconstruction using a rotationplasty or a prosthesis implantation 
    • Bone metastasis resection
  • Septic and reconstructive surgery
    • Treatment of acute and chronic inflammatory processes in bone tissue
    • Bone restoration, including in a case of distant metastases, by applying the Ilizarov apparatus or bone grafting with angioplasty
    • Closure of skin defects with local or microvascular flaps
    • Treatment of acute and chronic joint infections
    • Treatment of artificial joint infections
    • Surgery for joint stiffness after an unsuccessful attempt to preserve the endoprosthesis (after revision interventions and in significant loss of bone tissue)
    • Repair of axial deformities after the treatment of infections of the lower limbs
    • Treatment of bone infection in diabetic foot syndrome
    • Treatment of Charcot foot
    • Preservation of limbs with shunting and reconstruction with skin flaps in a case of arterial occlusion
    • Treatment of acute and chronic soft tissue infections
    • Treatment of infections caused by multidrug-resistant pathogens
• Traumatology
  • Geriatric traumatology
    • Treatment of hip fractures
    • Treatment of radial fractures
    • Treatment of vertebral fractures
  • Sports traumatology
    • Knee injuries
    • Ankle injuries (for example, torn ligaments)
    • Shoulder injuries (for example, shoulder dislocation)
    • Achilles tendon injury
  • Treatment of injuries caused by accidents at work
  • Treatment of bone fractures of the upper and lower limbs
  • Treatment of complex injuries, including multiple ones
• Foot surgery
  • Surgical repair of congenital foot deformities
  • Surgical repair of neuropathic and myopathic foot deformities
  • Ankle fusion in congenital and acquired foot deformities
  • Joint-preserving corrective osteotomy of the metatarsus in degenerative and congenital deformities
  • Corrective osteotomy (subcapital and/or basic) and soft tissue surgery (McBride procedure) for the foot with a flat transverse arch and complaints of foot pain
  • Resection arthroplasty (Keller-Brandes procedure) or arthrodesis (joint fixation) for arthrosis of the main joint of the big toe
  • Surgical repair of rheumatic deformities of the foot and metatarsus
• Spinal surgery
  • Microscopic nucleotomy
  • Open intervention to eliminate spinal stenosis with nerve root neurolysis
  • Posterior and anterior lumbar intervertebral fusion for degenerative spinal instability
  • Dorsoventral fusion for congenital spondylolisthesis
  • Dorsoventral fusion for instability of the cervical, thoracic and lumbar spine in inflammatory or oncological processes in combination with allogeneic vertebral body replacement
  • Straightening spinal fusion for inflammatory and post-traumatic spinal deformities (ankylosing spondylitis, chronic polyarthritis)
  • Resection of spinal tumors
  • Infiltration therapy
• Other medical services