Knee
The knee is the biggest joint within the human body and consists of the articular surface between the kneecap, the thigh and the lower leg.
Injuries are common in active and sportive people of a younger or middle age. Diseases of the knee are common in older people. On the knee I am focused on the artificial joint replacement by arthroplasty. Beyond that I frequently perform all standard arthroscopic procedures.
Common causes for knee pain are:
- Injuries: Especially at sports but also after permanent physical load injuries of the knee can occur. Frequent injuries are the Rupture of the Meniscus, Cartilage Lesions or the Rupture of the Anterior Cruciate Ligament.
- Joint wear (Gonarthrosis): Osteoarthritis of the knee can occur years after previous injuries. In most cases it deteriorates knee function without a known cause in the elderly population.
- Joint inflammation (Arthritis): Recurrent inflammation and swelling of the knee without having had a previous injury are often the first signs of a chronic inflammatory disease.
- Recurrent pain at the insertions of the tendons (Anterior Knee Pain).
Beside a detailed physical examination and standard radiographs, in many cases magnet resonance imaging (MRI) is necessary to find the correct diagnosis. It enables the assessment of the cartilage, the tendons and the ligaments within the knee and leads to a patient-specific therapy.
Some cases of knee disorders can be treated without surgery. Physiotherapy, shockwave therapy, the application of anti-inflammatory drugs or corticoid injections are effective. In cases of early joint wear (Osteoarthritis) hyaluronic acid injections into the knee have been shown to reduce pain for months to years.
Injuries or cases of severe osteoarthritis should be treated on time by surgery to improve the quality of life of my patients. Apart from arthroscopy I frequently perform joint replacement surgery by the use of computer navigated hemi-, total- and revision knee arthroplasty. I perform each procedure according to the latest scientific standards to fulfill the high expectations of my patients.
