Endoprosthetics Center & Orthopaedics Mannheim: Dr Henning Röhl

Dr Henning Röhl is a specialist in endoprosthetics and heads the Clinic for Orthopaedics, Traumatology, Hand Surgery, and Restorative Surgery as well as the Endoprosthetic Center (EPZ) at the Diakonissenkrankenhaus Mannheim as Chief Physician.

Dr Röhl and his team routinely perform all implantations of the large body joints (shoulder, hip, knee, and ankle). Within these operations, a special focus is placed on the area of change and revision interventions as well as correction of acquired or congenital deformities. During the initial implantation of artificial joints, minimally invasive and tissue-saving surgical techniques are used. This allows functions to be restored particularly quickly. You can either keep the length of your stay at the clinic as short as possible or have both sides of the knee or hip operated on at the same time with just one anaesthetic.

The endoprosthesis centre of the Clinic for Orthopaedics, Traumatology, Hand Surgery, and Restorative Surgery is part of a metropolitan clinic with full care under church sponsorship. This means it offers all safety-relevant structural requirements for your surgery – be it cardiology for emergency interventions, an efficient intensive care unit, or your own modern, certified sterilisation area with the supervising hygienists. Good to know.

The department also offers sports surgery, spinal surgery, minimally invasive arthroscopic surgery, foot surgery, trauma surgery, and geriatric medicine. Patients can thus be given interdisciplinary advice and treated individually.

EndoProthetikZentrum (EPZ) Mannheim – Certified Expertise

The EPZ in Mannheim is a certified endoprosthetic center where artificial joints are implanted. As head of the Clinic for Endoprosthetics, Dr Röhl uses his many years of experience to replace all large joints in the human body (e.g. hips, knees, shoulders, and ankles). With the help of complete diagnostic and therapeutic options, complications and long-term effects such as loosening, infections, or remaining restrictions after previous prosthesis implantations are all cared for and treated at the EPZ Mannheim. If the replacement of lost bone substance is necessary as part of such procedures, this is another speciality of Dr Röhl. In younger patients, he pays particular attention to the restoration and regeneration of lost bone substance. He has extensive experience in this practice.

Implantation of Hip Prosthesis – Minimally Invasive Procedure

The surgery of the hip joint bone is minimally invasive (i.e. with small incisions and only minimal damage to the surrounding tissue). Care is taken not to have to cut any muscles or tendons. Arthrosis of the hip joint often occurs mainly in old age but can also be caused in young patients by malpositions in childhood.

An artificial hip joint consists of a hip socket and the hip shaft onto which a ball head made of metal or ceramic is attached. This ball head moves in the socket and ensures normal hip function. The procedure is performed using latest technology and carefully selected, up-to-date implants, ensuring a fast and complication-free healing of the artificial hip. Patients have a shorter inpatient stay, are more mobile again, and are able to go about their everyday life. Dr Röhl has aquired experience and special training in the minimally invasive technique of the anterior access as well as disposes of a well-coordinated surgical team supporting him in his work.

The Artificial Knee Joint – Surface Replacement

The knee endoprosthesis is a surface replacement in which only the degenerated part is renewed. The destroyed cartilage and bone on the upper and lower leg is removed and replaced with a metal coating attached to the healthy bone. A plastic inlay serves as a sliding bearing between the thigh and lower leg prosthesis of the bicondylar surface replacement. The extent of the damage and the degree of stability of the knee determine the choice of implants. Whenever the function of the patient can benefit, Dr Röhl also offers partial prostheses (e.g. sled prostheses or isolated replacement of the patello femoral joint).

The Artificial Shoulder Joint – Shoulder Prosthesis

The shoulder joint – the most flexible of all joints in the human body – is formed by the head of the humerus and the socket similar to the hip. Movement of the shoulder can lead to restricted mobility of the shoulder as a result of tendon injuries or joint wear. This is known as osteoarthritis. Arthrosis is therefore a degenerative joint disease that can lead to deformation of the joint. It can nevertheless be treated by Dr Röhl. The choice of implants depends on the various causes that triggered the osteoarthritis. Just as with hip and knee prostheses, the surgical procedure performed by Dr Röhl and his team is followed by intensive rehabilitation, enabling patients to return to everyday life and even sports. The smallest prostheses can also be implanted in the shoulder joint with minimal bone consumption and good function. Wherever necessary, the shoulder in particular can be completely restored – even after extensive loss of function (e.g. in rheumatics).

The Artificial Ankle joint – Ankle Joint Prosthesis

Arthrosis of the ankle joint, the upper part of which is a hinge joint, occurs less frequently than in other joints and affects both the upper and lower ankle joint. The destruction of the joint can be caused by natural wear and tear, rheumatic diseases, and as a result of accidents. As a surgical solution, Dr Röhl offers the possibility of stiffening the joint or making it mobile again with an ankle joint prosthesis. A stiffening can even be carried out arthroscopically with low risk and without the use of large skin incisions.

Implants made of metal and plastic are used in the implantation of an ankle prosthesis. The objective of the operation is to replace the joint artificially, restore its external shape, and thus enable pain-free movements again.

Endoprosthetics of the Elbow Joint

In cases after rheumatic diseases or as a result of accidents or bone necrosis, Dr Röhl also carries out endoprosthetic treatment of the elbow joint. The most common disease requiring a prosthesis in the area of the elbow is rheumatoid arthritis. In this case, the elbow joint is permanently destroyed after many years of inflammatory processes. Rheumatoid arthritis in the elbow joint is characterised by movement and pressure pain in the elbow as well as pain at rest during the night. The artificial joint can then provide freedom from pain and restore good mobility and function in everyday life.

Exclusively for Athletes

Dr Röhl and his team provide medical care for athletes and sports clubs after accidents and provide trauma surgery and treatment. Typical sports injuries to tendons and joints (e.g. torn cruciate ligaments in the knee, torn Achilles tendon in the foot, and biceps tendon rupture in the arm) are treated here. Degenerative (wear-related) diseases such as rotator cuff ruptures of the shoulder or meniscus injuries of the knee are, of course, also treated here.

Rehabilitation After Surgery for Senior Citizens

If a surgery is planned for the elderly or is performed as a result of an accident, special additional procedures are often necessary. This is because the elderly are particularly vulnerable to concomitant diseases. The interdisciplinary cooperation of our Center for Geriatric Traumatology therefore offers particularly good treatment options for our elderly patients. The limited resilience and the age-related side effects of senior citizens are treated with consideration. Age-related physical injuries, which are often caused by falls, are cared for with the aim of rehabilitating the elderly people without pain so they can return to everyday life. Dr Röhl is supported by the neurosurgery department as well as by the neurologists, pain therapists, and physiotherapists of the clinic as well as his colleagues in the affiliated geriatrics department. He is thus able to treat patients in an interdisciplinary manner.

For further information, please visit the website of the Clinic for Orthopaedics, Traumatology, and Restorative Surgery.