Knee Surgery in Germany – treatment in the Best Hospitals

Many knee injuries and diseases require surgical treatment. The function of the lower limb, the ability to work, the timing of returning to work or sports training depend on the quality of the knee surgery. To get the best results with minimal health risks, many patients prefer to undergo treatment in Germany. Doctors in this country perform modern operations. These are minimally traumatic interventions that ensure quick and complete recovery of the knee joint. To travel to Germany for knee surgery, please use the Booking Health website. Here you can find out the cost of treatment and book a medical care program at an affordable price.

Content

1. Who may need knee surgery?
2. Meniscus treatment
3. Knee ligament surgery
4. Arthroscopy in Germany
5. Knee replacement
6. What types of knee replacement can be performed?
7. Types of endoprostheses
8. How is the endoprosthesis implanted?
9. Benefits of treatment in Germany
10. Treatment in Germany with Booking Health

Who may need knee surgery?

Most knee surgeries are performed for osteoarthritis.

The second most common reason for visiting an orthopedic surgeon is injuries. They are more often sustained by young people involved in sports. Professional athletes are also at risk. They may undergo several knee surgeries during their life, while a quick and complete recovery is very important for them.

The operations for injuries, including chronic, inflammatory, oncological, metabolic and other knee diseases are less common.

Meniscus treatment 

As a result of injury, the menisci of the knee joint are most often damaged. These are two cartilage pads that act as shock absorbers. When a meniscus tears, its part can block the joint, disrupt its function, as well as cause severe pain and inflammation.

Basic surgical procedures for meniscal injuries: 

• Meniscal suture repair.
• Meniscal resection. 
• Meniscectomy.

Meniscal suture repair has an obvious advantage: nothing has to be removed from the knee. But the problem is that it takes much longer to recover after such a surgical procedure. In addition, it is not always possible to repair a meniscus with sutures. This is possible only with a small tear in the red or pink area, near the capsule of the knee joint. If the meniscus tears in the white zone, it will never recover, because there are no blood vessels in this part of the cartilaginous lining.

Meniscal resection is the most common surgical procedure. It involves removing the affected part of the meniscus, which injures and blocks the inside of the knee. After the operation, the recovery time is minimal. In just a few weeks, the athlete can return to training.

Meniscectomy is the total removal of the meniscus. Since it plays an important role in the knee joint, this surgery is only used in extreme cases. In Germany, meniscectomy is complemented by a meniscus prosthetic repair. Without this stage of the operation, the knee will quickly collapse, since the absence of the meniscus leads to the development of secondary gonarthrosis over the next few years.

Knee ligament surgery 

As a result of sports injury, many patients develop knee ligament injuries. The lateral ligaments and the anterior cruciate ligament are most often torn.

With a complete rupture of the lateral ligaments, they can be sutured in the acute period. This is followed by immobilization of the limb for several weeks. With a favorable outcome, the ligament heals completely, but if the patient has an old injury, the ligament cannot be sutured, it has to be replaced with a graft.

The anterior cruciate ligament of the knee cannot be sutured when fully torn. Tendon grafts are used to treat the disease. They actually form a new cruciate ligament. The doctor can use the patient's own tendons, donor tendons or artificial ligaments made of synthetic materials.

Anterior cruciate ligament injuries require long-term rehabilitation. An athlete can usually return to his previous physical form no earlier than after 6 months.

Arthroscopy in Germany 

Most joint operations in German hospitals are performed using arthroscopy. Doctors no longer need to make a large incision to fully open the joint capsule. Now thin long instruments are introduced into its cavity. Doctors use short incisions that heal quickly.

The benefits of this approach are as follows: 

• Minimal trauma.
• Better visibility inside the joint.
• Fast postoperative recovery.
• Minimal blood loss.
• Less pain. 
• Better aesthetic effect. 

Arthroscopic surgery is most often performed to treat meniscal and knee ligament injuries. They can also be used for arthrosis, patellar displacement, cysts, condylar osteonecrosis. For diagnostic purposes, arthroscopy can be performed after injury. It allows doctors to examine all lesions inside the joint, remove foreign bodies, cartilage fragments and blood clots.

Knee replacement 

Knee replacement is the most common knee surgery. In Germany, doctors perform tens of thousands of these procedures every year.

The main indication for replacement surgery is gonarthrosis. This is a degenerative and dystrophic lesion of the joint, which gradually leads to complete wear and tear of the knee. It collapses, chronic pain occurs, the limb is deformed. Less commonly, knee replacement is performed for severe rheumatic diseases, trauma, cancer, aseptic osteonecrosis.

What types of knee replacement can be performed? 

Knee replacement can be unicompartmental and total. Unicompartmental endoprostheses replace only half of the joint. Total endoprostheses are more often used for severe gonarthrosis – they replace the entire knee joint.

Replacement surgery can be unilateral and bilateral. Most patients undergo unilateral knee replacement surgery. As a rule, arthrosis does not affect the second leg or it is much less pronounced. However, 20% of patients have severe gonarthrosis on the second limb. In such situations, doctors perform bilateral replacement surgery: replacement of both knee joints at once. If joint replacement surgery is performed within a single surgical procedure, it is called single-staged. If two joint replacement surgeries are performed several months apart, this is a two-stage arthroplasty.

Types of endoprostheses 

For total knee replacement, three types of total prostheses can be used:

• Unconstrained. 
• Partially constrained. 
• Constrained. 

Unconstrained prostheses are used if the patient's own ligamentous apparatus is preserved. They provide better knee function and last longer.

In young patients, preference is given to mobile-bearing platform endoprostheses. They provide more range of motion in the joints. In addition, they are better suited for people with an active lifestyle, as they are more resistant to stress. Fixed-bearing platform endoprostheses are less commonly used. They are less mobile, but more stable. Such prostheses wear out faster under stress, so they are more suitable for older people with a low level of activity.

Partially constrained prostheses can be used with either replacement or preservation of the posterior cruciate ligament of the knee. The second option is preferable, while maintaining the ligament, the survival rate of the endoprostheses is higher. But sometimes, due to pronounced degenerative processes, it is not possible to preserve the ligament, so it is necessary to use prostheses with its replacement.

Constrained prostheses are used in the most severe cases: 

• In case of cancers. 
• In case of bone tissue deficiency. 
• For repeated replacement surgery. 

They replace the entire knee along with the ligaments. There are two main types of constrained prostheses: rotating hinge and pure hinge. The former are more functional, as they allow not only bending and unbending the knee, but also rotating the lower leg. All types of constrained prostheses are less functional and wear out faster than unconstrained prostheses.

How is the endoprosthesis implanted? 

The operation is performed under either general or spinal anesthesia. The doctor makes an incision in the knee area. He removes the patient's own cartilage and bone structures and implants the components of the endoprosthesis. The surgical intervention lasts 1.5-2 hours.

The latest technologies are used for replacement surgery in Germany. The prostheses are implanted under the guidance of computer-assisted navigation. This method provides an accuracy of 0.1 mm and 0.1 degrees. When implanting an endoprosthesis using computer-assisted navigation, a minimum deviation of the lower limb axis is achieved – within 3 degrees. As a result, the risk of aseptic loosening of the endoprosthesis (the most common cause of repeated endoprosthetics) is reduced by 8 times.

Upon completion of the operation, the patient spends about 2 weeks in the hospital. Then he can undergo further recovery in a rehabilitation center.

Benefits of treatment in Germany 

Orthopedic surgery in Germany is safer, more reliable, and provides better functional outcomes. German hospitals use the latest technologies. The operations are performed by doctors who are considered to be among the best in the world.

Benefits of knee surgery in Germany: 

• Most operations are performed using minimally invasive techniques: arthroscopy, short incisions.
• Patients recover quickly, which is especially important for athletes who can return to training faster after knee surgery.
• The very latest types of surgical interventions provide more reliable results and minimize the risk of developing secondary gonarthrosis.
• Knee replacement in Germany is performed under the guidance of computer-assisted navigation. The precise placement increases the service life of the prosthesis.
• The use of the most advanced types of endoprostheses, which are highly durable and can last for decades.
• Most of the patients who underwent replacement surgery in Germany will never need repeated surgery.
• If necessary, surgeons can perform a single-stage replacement of two knee joints at once within a single operation. This approach reduces the time spent on treatment, rehabilitation and reduces the total cost of treatment.
• Minimal health risks: a well-performed surgical procedure, fast-track rehabilitation protocols and accompanying drug therapy minimize the risk of complications.
• Full recovery: after surgery and rehabilitation, pain completely disappears and limb function is restored.

Treatment in Germany with Booking Health 

To undergo knee surgery in Germany, please use the services of Booking Health. On our website, you can get information about the cost of treatment in different German hospitals, compare prices and book a medical care program at a favorable price.

Please contact the Booking Health specialists to undergo treatment in Germany. We will provide the following benefits for you: 

• We will choose the best orthopedic hospital whose doctors specialize in specific knee surgeries.
• We will help you overcome the language barrier, establish communication with the German medical center and your attending physician.
• We will reduce the waiting time for the start of the medical care program and book a doctor's appointment on the most suitable dates.
• We will reduce the price. The cost of treatment in Germany will be decreased due to the lack of additional coefficients for foreign patients.
• We will take care of all organizational issues: documents for entering the country, transfer from the airport, hotel, interpreter, etc.
• We will prepare a medical care program and translate medical documents into German. You do not have to repeat previously performed diagnostic procedures.
• We will provide communication with the hospital after the completion of treatment in Germany. 
• We will organize additional medical examinations, treatment in Germany or rehabilitation, if necessary. 
• We will buy medicines in Germany and forward them to your native country. 
• We will help you keep in touch with a medical clinic after treatment in Germany. 

Booking Health makes treatment in Germany easier, faster and cheaper. We will fully organize your trip, and you will only have to focus on restoring your health.

Authors: Dr. Nadezhda Ivanisova, Dr. Sergey Pashchenko