Hip and knee arthrosis

 

In Switzerland, the number of wear and tear diseases (osteoarthritis) in the knee and hip is constantly increasing. For these reasons, we strive to keep our surgical techniques and implants up to date.

 
 
 
Stephan Plaschy, M.D., and Matthias, M.D., Ph. Schmied

Stephan Plaschy, M.D., and Matthias, M.D., Ph. Schmied

Our affiliated physicians Dr. med. Stephan Plaschy and Dr. med. Matthias Schmied, specialists in orthopaedic surgery and traumatology of the musculoskeletal system, presented the latest developments in this field to a wide audience.

Beforehand, we asked the speakers three questions on the topic:

What is the reason for steadily increasing numbers of wear and tear diseases (osteoarthritis) of the knee and hip?

The age of the Swiss population is steadily increasing and we have more and more active people in this stage of life. As painful joint wear (arthrosis) occurs more frequently with increasing age, the number of joint problems requiring treatment is also rising.

When is surgery necessary and what techniques are used?

An operation is necessary when conservative (non-surgical) measures are no longer effective, the patient's quality of life is significantly restricted and he or she wishes to have an operation. The techniques we use correspond to the latest state of research, but are always based on many years of experience. Whenever possible and reasonable, minimally invasive procedures are chosen.

In knee prostheses, instability is one of the main causes of persistent problems after joint replacement. Which technique can be used to improve stability and thus optimise the result of an operation? 

A new technique is being used to improve the stability of knee prostheses. This was originally developed in Switzerland and has since attracted international interest. The stability of the prosthesis can be tested by means of individual planning before the implantation takes place. In this way, improvements in stability can be simulated and directly implemented in the surgical plan. Our experience has shown that patients benefit greatly from this.

Hip joint arthrosis
Healthy hip joint
Healthy hip joint

A precise diagnosis is crucial for a promising therapy of hip pain. Did the hip pain occur after an accident or fall? Is the pain acute or chronic? Degenerative wear and tear, congenital maldevelopment, intensive sporting or occupational stress, previous injury or even overweight are the possible causes: severe stress pain, hip impingement (femoroacetabular impingement), hip arthrosis, painful hip prosthesis.

Hip Joint Osteoarthritis
Hip Joint Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis of the hip joint (hip arthrosis, coxarthrosis) is a wear disease with cartilage wear in the hip joint, which causes severe pain during movement and also at rest. The pathological wear of the cartilage eventually causes bone to move on bone. If conservative treatment options no longer alleviate the pain, only total hip joint prosthesis implantation is promising and pain-free.

Hip joint prosthesis
Hip joint prosthesis

Osteoarthritis in the hip joint cannot be cured in principle. Conservative therapies (gymnastics, muscle building) can slow down hip joint wear and stabilise pain. In order to improve limited mobility, the insertion of an artificial hip joint is promising in the case of advanced joint disease. The hip prosthesis replaces the damaged and worn sliding and surface parts of the natural joint.

Knee arthrosis, hip arthrosis, BethanyMatthias Schmied