Department of Adult and Pediatric Orthopedics, Foot Surgery - St. Vinzenz Hospital for Orthopedics Duesseldorf

About the Department of Adult and Pediatric Orthopedics, Foot Surgery at St. Vinzenz Hospital for Orthopedics Duesseldorf

The Department of Adult and Pediatric Orthopedics, Foot Surgery at the St. Vinzenz Hospital for Orthopedics Duesseldorf offers the widest range of modern medical services to patients suffering from musculoskeletal diseases. The department specializes in knee and hip replacement surgery, including revision interventions to replace previously implanted artificial joints. The department has the status of a certified Maximum Care Endoprosthetics Center (endoCert), which means adherence to the requirements of European professional societies for carrying out procedures of this kind, a high level of safety and treatment efficiency. It is worth noting that the department uses the innovative ROSA® robotic system for performing knee replacement surgery. A special Rapid Recovery Program is used for the rapid recovery of mobility after joint surgery, which allows the patients to quickly return to their usual life. An integral part of the department's clinical practice is also the treatment of foot diseases and deformities in adults and children. The medical facility has been operating for more than 50 years, and therefore it provides patients with the highest quality medical care and easily copes even with highly severe pathologies.

The department is headed by Prof. Dr. med. Christoph Schnurr. The specialist has an impressive clinical experience and an excellent international reputation in the treatment of orthopedic diseases.

The department performs more than 1,000 knee and hip replacement surgeries annually. The experience and unique skills of the surgeons, a large number of operations, high-quality implants and innovative techniques, as well as the use of accurate navigation systems contribute to optimal surgical results. Prior to the prescription of joint replacement surgery, the department's doctors devote a sufficient amount of time to personal communication with the patient, studying his medical history and complaints. During the initial visit, the attending physician carries out a thorough clinical examination, after which the patient undergoes an X-ray examination. As a rule, the X-ray examination is sufficient to confirm or exclude the diagnosis of arthrosis – pathology is characterized by gradual destruction of the joint due to degenerative and dystrophic changes in the tissues. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging are rarely required. If the pathology is detected at the early stages, the department's specialists use only conservative treatment methods: intake of painkillers, physiotherapeutic procedures, intra-articular injection therapy, and other manipulations. This allows the doctors to relieve pain and delay surgery, but do not help the patient to completely get rid of arthrosis. In the advanced stages of pathology with severe symptoms, including severe pain syndrome and limited mobility, the only effective method of treatment and prevention of disability is joint replacement surgery.

If the patient requires the surgical intervention, an important stage in preparation for it is the choice of the optimal type of prosthesis. The department's medical team uses only high-quality endoprostheses from leading world manufacturers, which are distinguished by the maximum service life. It is possible to implant a custom-made endoprosthesis, if required. At the preparatory stage, the doctor also tells the patient in detail about the upcoming surgical intervention, the method of its implementation and postoperative measures to restore mobility. The department performs knee and hip replacement surgery using minimally invasive techniques, involving only a few small skin incisions instead of traumatic opening of the joint cavity. Doctors use special navigation systems for the most accurate positioning of the prosthesis. When performing knee joint surgery, doctors also often use the ROSA® robotic system, which allows the doctors to place the prosthesis with millimeter precision based on the patient's anatomy. Even before the operation, the device records the anatomical characteristics of the knee joint using special sensors, up to the dynamic measurement of the tension of the ligaments during movements. Thanks to this, the robotic system performs high-precision calculations, which allow the surgeon to place the prosthesis in such a way that the patient has no complications in the future and regains maximum mobility.

An advantage for the department's patients is the successful application of a special postoperative Rapid Recovery Program aimed at ensuring that the patient begins to move freely as soon as possible and return to his usual lifestyle. The program includes a comprehensive preparation of the patient for the surgical intervention, as well as his rapid mobilization with the help of intensive physiotherapeutic procedures and pain management. After the operation, the department's doctors strongly recommend the patients to undergo professional rehabilitation (a course of 2-3 weeks) to consolidate the results of the intervention.

The team of the department's doctors also provides effective treatment of foot diseases in adults and children. The department successfully performs conservative treatment and surgical repair of hallux valgus, hallux rigidus, hammer and claw toes, metatarsalgia, tarsal arthrosis, ankle arthrosis, flat feet, Achilles tendon rupture, heel spur, and other pathologies. Conservative methods are considered as the first-line therapy: pharmacotherapy, physiotherapeutic procedures, special complexes of therapeutic exercises, wearing orthopedic shoes and many others. If the pathology has reached an advanced stage and the above-mentioned methods do not give a satisfactory result, the question of surgical repair is raised. In most cases, the department's surgeons resort to low-traumatic and microsurgical techniques, after which the process of restoring the patient's mobility is much faster and easier. The decision on the advisability of a particular treatment method is made exclusively on an individual basis, according to the data of preliminary diagnostics.

The most common foot deformity in children is the planovalgus foot deformity and the department's doctors successfully perform its correction. The pathological condition quite often does not cause pain and problems with the child's mobility, but if the child experiences discomfort when walking or running, competent medical care is required. First of all, the department's doctors recommend patients wearing orthopedic shoes, special therapeutic exercises and physiotherapy procedures. In most cases, these techniques can ensure good results, and surgery (subtalar arthroereisis) is performed only in the most complex clinical cases.

The department's range of diagnostic and therapeutic options includes:

• Diagnostics
  • Laboratory tests
  • X-ray (classical and digital)
  • Computed tomography
  • Magnetic resonance imaging
• Treatment
  • Hip and knee replacement surgery of all levels of complexity (operations in case of degeneration, damage, fracture of the prosthesis, etc.), including the use of the ROSA® robotic system and navigation systems for precise positioning of the artificial joint
  • Foot surgery in adults
    • Hallux valgus
    • Hallux rigidus
    • Hammer and claw toes
    • Metatarsalgia
    • Tarsal arthrosis
    • Ankle arthrosis
    • Flat feet
    • Achilles tendon rupture
    • Heel spur
  • Foot surgery in children
    • Planovalgus foot deformity (conservative and surgical treatment methods)
• Other diagnostic and therapeutic services