Shoulder Specialist Cologne (NRW): Prof. Dr Knut Beitzel

Prof. Dr Knut Beitzel is a specialist in shoulder surgery and sports orthopedics and a specialist physician in orthopedics and trauma surgery at the private clinic ATOS Orthoparc Clinic Cologne.

Prof. Beitzel treats diseases around the shoulder and shoulder joint and sports orthopedic diseases at the ATOS Orthoparc Clinic Cologne. The sophisticated joint structure of the shoulder and the interaction of the joint capsule, tendons, ligaments, and bursas require the highest level of precision and profound diagnostic experience when diagnosing a shoulder disease. Prof. Beitzel tailors the treatment to his patient's individual needs.

Shoulder Specialist in Cologne: Expertise in Shoulder Injuries and Diseases

Many patients with shoulder joint complaints fear that visiting a specialist shoulder surgeon such as Prof. Knut Beitzel will inevitably lead to surgery.

In many cases, however, the pain symptoms result from chronic strain or muscle tension. Such patterns of disease can usually be treated specifically with physiotherapeutic exercises.

Surgery is only advisable in the case of severe injuries to important anatomical structures in the shoulder joint to repair the defect and prevent subsequent damage.

Therefore, consultation with a recognized shoulder specialist, such as Prof. Knut Beitzel, is recommended due to his valuable diagnostic experience. Thanks to a precise physical examination and a sharp physical sense for normal and abnormal mobility in the shoulder joint, a suspected diagnosis can be made, supplemented, and substantiated directly at the ATOS Orthoparc Clinic in Cologne by magnetic resonance imaging or an ultrasound examination.

Impingement Syndrome of the Shoulder: Pain Relief and Recovery of Mobility

Impingement syndrome, also known as shoulder tightness syndrome, is caused by bony compression of the tendons under the acromion, which can severely restrict joint mobility. Conservative procedures are primarily preferred so that the tendons of the rotator cuff can glide smoothly in their canal again.

This includes effective pain therapy and anti-inflammatory injections into the affected region to prevent harmful postures. Individual physiotherapeutic treatment also promises to restore mobility in the joint.

If conservative therapy does not have a satisfactory effect, Prof. Knut Beitzel recommends removing the compressing bony structures as part of a minimally invasive surgery as a further treatment option. This condition often occurs in combination with other damage to the joint. Therefore, a comprehensive analysis and therapy are always necessary in these cases in particular.

State-of-the-Art Treatment Approaches for Calcific Shoulder

Painful calcium deposits cause a calcific shoulder on the attachment tendons of the rotator cuff under the acromion. The thickened tendon in the bony canal causes pain symptoms and restricted movement, similar to impingement syndrome.

The calcific shoulder can primarily be treated conservatively using adequate pain therapy and anti-inflammatory injections after imaging diagnostics by the specialists at the ATOS Orthoparc Clinic in Cologne.

If this, in combination with targeted exercise of the joint through physiotherapy, proves unsuccessful in the long term, the calcific deposits can be removed from the tendon insertion through minimal skin incisions so that the tendons can glide smoothly under the acromion again.

Medical Expertise in Shoulder Surgery: Rotator Cuff Rupture and Rotator Cuff Reconstruction

The four muscles of the rotator cuff surround the head of the humerus and can rotate and lift it. They also have a relevant function in stabilizing the shoulder joint. Chronic incorrect strain, accidents, or untreated impingement syndrome can lead to tendon ruptures.

Such a rotator cuff tear manifests in severe pain in the shoulder, which usually intensifies at night. As the condition progresses, mobility may also be impaired. Using the latest imaging technology, the extent of the damage can be examined using MRI, X-ray, and ultrasound examinations.

For a closer look at the inner joint conditions, a camera and light source can be inserted into the joint via minimal skin incisions during arthroscopy, and minor therapeutic interventions can be carried out if necessary.

While minor partial ruptures can usually be treated conservatively, tendon ruptures caused by sports accidents, in particular, should be treated surgically. In most cases, an arthroscopy is sufficient, in which the tendon attachment to the humerus is reattached using sutures through minimal skin incisions.

In the case of more extensive defects, a muscle or tendon from the chest or back region must be transferred to the shoulder to reconstruct the typical anatomical structures of the rotator cuff.

Shoulder Prostheses: Implantation and Replacement at the ATOS Orthoparc Clinic Cologne

As arthrosis in the shoulder joint increases, the pain symptoms can restrict the quality of life to the extent that conservative treatment is no longer sufficient. In this case, Prof. Beitzel at the ATOS Orthoparc Clinic in Cologne advises a total shoulder endoprosthesis.

This involves removing the humeral head and small parts of the shoulder blade with the diseased and degenerated cartilage and replacing them with artificial joint components.

These modular components can also be replaced years later if a prosthesis needs to be exchanged.

Shoulder Surgery in NRW: Surgeries for Shoulder Instability

After a shoulder joint dislocation, i.e., when the upper arm bone has been dislocated from its socket at the shoulder joint due to an injury, stability in the joint may remain impaired. Such instabilities usually have to be treated surgically.

The joints can be stabilized using arthroscopic techniques and small suture anchors without bone loss and in the early stages of instability. If frequent dislocations have already occurred, the bone on the acetabulum must be built up. Transferring the coracoid process or a bone graft from the pelvis is a suitable method of re-stabilizing the shoulder.

In cases of acromioclavicular joint instability, this goal can usually be achieved by minimally invasive reconstruction of the shoulder ligaments using arthroscopy. In cases of severe, chronic instability, the tendon of the gracilis muscle can also be removed from the knee region and sutured into the shoulder ligaments for stabilization.

Please visit the ATOS Orthoparc Clinic Cologne website for more information.