Artificial joints - prosthesis innovations for shoulder, hip, knee

While little progress was made in the early days of prosthetics (artificial joint replacement), the quality of artificial joints has developed in great, innovative leaps in recent years.

Although the current satisfaction rate of 90% is very high, research is constantly striving to improve the quality through revolutionary technology and new experience. Especially advanced, minimally invasive surgical methods in the areas of shoulder, hip and knee joint have many advantages for the patients.

Public lecture: 22 May 2018 (18:00 19:00) Bethanien Private Clinic

Our affiliated physicians Dr. med. Matthias Schmied, Dr. med. Philipp Frey and Dr. med. Stephan Plaschy, extremely experienced specialists in orthopaedic surgery and traumatology of the musculoskeletal system, offer an overview of the latest generation of artificial joints in this lecture. Their practice "Arthrosis Clinic Zurich and Sport Permanence" is located in the premises of the Privatklinik Bethanien.

Public lecture with shoulder expert Dr. med. Philipp Frey

Review

The lecture started in front of a full room with the statement how common artificial joints are nowadays and how successfully they can be used in the meantime. After only 3 months, patients can already go about their lives relatively well.

Since the beginning of prosthetics (artificial joint replacement) at the beginning of the 20th century, efforts have been made to offer the best possible solutions for joint wear. Like so much in science, orthopaedics was shaped by individual pioneers who were able to gain valuable experience with sometimes controversial methods, which have contributed significantly to the current state of knowledge and modern technologies.

A relatively modern procedure and a great technical achievement is the use of patient specific instruments (PSI). These are individually created with the help of 3D visualization programs. Thanks to them, the surgeon can evaluate the correct positioning of the prosthesis and select the appropriate prosthesis. The entire surgical procedure can also be planned in advance in 3D and thus risks can be assessed.

The simulation of a normal motion sequence is the key to a well-fitting prosthesis. It must support the natural course of movement and must not be a hindrance under any circumstances. This is already simulated and tested during the operation.

Source: Bethanien Clinic

Osteoarthritis of the 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

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

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 arthritis, BethanyMatthias SchmiedMay 22, 2018