Arthroscopic or open surgery and transplantation of cartilage to treat knee osteoarthritis in St. Antonius Hospital Eschweiler

About the department

The Department of Adult and Pediatric Traumatology, Orthopedic Surgery, Spinal Surgery and Foot Surgery at the St. Antonius Hospital Eschweiler offers its patients accurate diagnostics and high-quality treatment of the full range of diseases of the musculoskeletal system. The department provides both conservative and surgical treatment of congenital and acquired orthopedic diseases. The medical facility is certified as a regional Trauma Center, so the department's specialists can offer patients of all ages effective treatment for injuries of any severity. The department also has endoCert certification, which confirms the excellent quality of surgery for partial and total knee, hip and shoulder replacement. An equally important focus of the department's work is the treatment of spinal diseases, the excellent results of which are awarded with the certificate of the German Society for Spine Surgery. The department's doctors apply their clinical experience and professional skills to provide optimal treatment and eliminate mobility restrictions for each patient.The department is headed by Dr. med. Oliver Heiber.

The doctors of the certified Endoprosthetics Center perform modern surgical interventions for partial and total knee, hip and shoulder replacement, including revision surgery to replace previously implanted prostheses. The doctors working in the department have over 30 years of experience in this field. In the course of a comprehensive diagnostic examination, the specialists assess the degree of joint damage, the advisability of the surgical procedure and possible contraindications. If the patient has no contraindications to surgical treatment, the preparatory stage begins – planning the intervention using computer programs. The decisive role in the success of treatment is also played by the optimal selection of the prosthesis, and therefore doctors use in their practice only high-quality endoprostheses that enjoy an impeccable reputation in the world market. Joint replacement surgery is performed using minimally invasive techniques, through several small skin incisions. Minimally invasive surgery is not inferior to classical open surgery in terms of its efficiency, but at the same time it has a number of undeniable advantages. These are mild pain, minimal risks of infection and postoperative complications, rapid recovery of mobility after the intervention and a short period of hospitalization.

The department also successfully performs arthroscopic interventions on the knee, hip and shoulder joints. Arthroscopic interventions can be performed both for diagnostic purposes, when non-invasive imaging diagnostics does not provide the required information for the diagnosis, and for therapeutic ones. During the procedure, the doctor makes one or two small skin incisions through which he inserts an arthroscope – a tube with a diameter of 4-5 mm with magnifying lenses and optical fiber. With an arthroscope, the doctor can examine the internal structures of the joint and carry out the necessary therapeutic manipulations by introducing special instruments through additional skin incisions. The department's medical team mostly performs arthroscopic interventions for impingement syndrome, frozen shoulder, rotator cuff tear, shoulder dislocation, pathological lesions of the articular lip and hip cartilage, meniscal and cruciate ligament injuries, pathological lesions of the knee cartilage, etc. The department's specialists perform thousands of arthroscopic procedures every year, so the patients can be sure of their high efficiency and safety.

One of the most important focuses for doctors of the medical facility is the treatment of spinal diseases and injuries. The department mostly admits patients with spinal disc herniation, spinal stenosis, facet arthrosis, spondylolisthesis, spinal fractures, including osteoporotic ones, chronic back pain, etc. The team of specialists in this medical field has in its arsenal both conservative and surgical treatment methods. Conservative therapeutic methods include infusion therapy, infiltration therapy, physiotherapy, manual therapy and others. Should surgery be required, the preference is given to minimally invasive surgical techniques. The treatment regimen is developed for each patient individually.

The department's service range is complemented by the treatment of congenital and acquired foot diseases. Whenever possible, the doctors strive to achieve a cure for pathology using conservative methods (special physiotherapy methods, wearing corrective orthopedic shoes, etc.). If conservative therapy does not give the desired result, doctors decide to perform a surgical procedure. The department uses sparing minimally invasive or arthroscopic techniques, which reduce trauma to healthy tissues and exclude long-term postoperative recovery. The specialists of the medical facility achieve excellent results in the treatment of such foot diseases and deformities as hallux valgus, hallux rigidus, Morton's neuroma, hammer and claw toes, heel spur, osteochondritis dissecans, chronic ankle instability and others. After the operation, the patient undergoes rehabilitation measures for early mobilization (in cooperation with physiotherapists).

The department's key clinical focuses include:

• Conservative and surgical treatment of injuries of any severity in adults and children (within a certified Trauma Center)
• Conservative and surgical treatment of knee diseases
  • Arthroscopic meniscus repair, including partial resection
  • Arthroscopic and minimally invasive knee cartilage surgery
  • Arthroscopic surgery for cruciate ligament replacement  
  • Minimally invasive surgery for patellar instability
  • Conservative and surgical treatment of knee fractures
• Conservative and surgical treatment of hip diseases
  • Arthroscopic and minimally invasive surgery on the cartilage of the hip joint and articular lip
  • Conservative and surgical treatment of hip fractures
• Conservative and surgical treatment of shoulder diseases
  • Arthroscopic surgery for impingement syndrome
  • Arthroscopic surgery for frozen shoulder and extracorporeal shock wave therapy
  • Arthroscopic surgery for rotator cuff tear
  • Arthroscopic surgery for shoulder instability
  • Conservative and surgical treatment of shoulder fractures
• Knee, hip and shoulder replacement surgery
  • Partial replacement surgery
  • Total replacement surgery
  • Revision replacement surgery (for example, in case of prosthesis displacement, infection, etc.)
• Conservative and surgical treatment of spinal diseases
  • Conservative treatment methods
    • Infusion therapy
    • Infiltration therapy
    • Physiotherapy
    • Manual therapy
  • Surgical treatment methods
    • Surgery for spinal disc herniation
    • Surgery for spinal stenosis
    • Facet joint denervation (for facet arthrosis)
    • Surgery for spondylolisthesis
    • Kyphoplasty for osteoporotic vertebral fractures
    • Implantation of special fixation devices for vertebral fractures
    • Correction of congenital or post-traumatic spinal deformities
• Conservative and surgical treatment of foot diseases
  • Conservative treatment methods
    • Special physiotherapy techniques
    • Wearing corrective orthopedic shoes
    • Urgent care for foot injuries
  • Surgical treatment methods
    • Urgent surgical treatment of foot injuries
    • Arthroscopic surgery for pathological lesions of the ankle cartilage
    • Surgical repair of hallux valgus and hallux rigidus
    • Surgical repair for incorrect position/deformation of the little toe
    • Decompression for ankle impingement syndrome
    • Arthrodesis
    • Minimally invasive interventions for ankle joint cartilage lesions
    • Partial upper ankle replacement surgery
    • Ankle joint arthroscopy
    • Injection therapy for ankle tendovaginitis
    • Stabilizing ankle surgery
• Other medical services

Photo of the doctor: (c) St.-Antonius-Hospital