Back Doctor and Hip / Spine Specialist Cologne

Prof Dr Guido Saxler is a specialist in endoprosthetics and knee, shoulder and spinal surgery, and is also Chief Physician for orthopaedics and trauma surgery at the Rhineland Clinic in Dormagen.

In addition to endoprosthetic procedures on the hip joint, the knee joint and the shoulder, spinal surgery is one of Prof. Saxler’s particular areas of focus. Whenever possible, minimally invasive techniques are used for operations on the entirety of the spine. The spinal canal is treated endoscopically as well as the knee, shoulder, ankle and elbow. Around 1000 arthroscopic operations are performed a year.

Multimodal Pain Therapy for Chronic Back Pain

Many diseases of the spine are accompanied by severe back pain and impaired functionality in everyday life. Prof. Saxler and his interdisciplinary team offer the so-called multimodal pain therapy.

Specialist in Endoscopic and Microsurgical Disc Operations (Spinal Stenosis)

After precise imaging diagnostics using MRI and X-rays, the surgeon gets an overview of the location and extent of the herniated disc.

Herniated discs are characterised by the displacement or extrusion of tissue from the inner core of the disc to the rear or to the sides. This can lead to compression of the spinal cord or nerve roots. Prof. Saxler and his team of experienced orthopaedic surgeons are able to counteract spinal canal stenosis using endoscopic or microsurgical disc operational procedures.

Spinal canal stenoses cannot only be caused by herniated discs but also by signs of wear on the small joints of the spinal column. If non-surgical therapy is not effective, the specialists at Dormagen District Hospital offer decompression surgery. If, at the same time, the vertebral segments are unstable, these can be "stiffened" during surgery. Stiffening is achieved by means of a screw-rod system and a spacer. This medical device can be inserted from the rear (PLIF) or from the front (ALIF). Prof. Saxler's team of experts is particularly specialized in spinal surgery performed from the front, in conditions following cases of pseudarthrosis.

Treatment of Vertebral Fractures Due to Osteoporosis or Trauma

Osteoporosis leads to pathological microarchitecture of the bone, which leads to reduced bone density and an increased risk of fractures. As a surgical treatment, the specialists offer a procedure that erects the vertebral body using a balloon (kyphoplasty). The vertebral body is then stabilised with special cement. If the vertebral fracture is of traumatic origin, a percutaneous stabilisation procedure or complete vertebral body replacement operations are offered.

Artificial Hip Joint Replacement, Knee Joint Replacement and Shoulder Endoprosthetics at the Certified Endoprosthetics Centre

An additional emphasis to spine surgery is the treatment of hip joint diseases at the Dormagen District Hospital.

At the maximum care Endoprosthetics Centre, up to 400 patients suffering from total hip joint endoprosthesis and over 300 patients with knee endoprosthesis are treated annually.

The procedure is performed by experienced surgeons who push aside the thigh muscles during surgery. Then, they remove the hip joint capsule and the damaged cartilage from the acetabulum. Next, the medical professionals insert the artificial acetabulum and finally, they fit the endoprosthesis stem exactly into the thighbone.

Specialists in endoprosthetics also apply minimally invasive techniques. Patients become mobile again quickly as well as capable of independently moving around at the hospital ward during their inpatient stay. The treatment center features its own rehabilitation facility.

"Patient-specific implants" with corresponding customized templates are used in all areas of endoprosthetics. This has significantly improved results in shoulder endoprosthetics in particular in recent years. Life with an artificial shoulder replacement usually provides the patient a very high level of comfort.

Arthroscopic Operations

All large joints (shoulder, knee, ankle, and elbow, as well as the spine) are treated endoscopically or arthroscopically. Meniscal injuries, cruciate ligament injuries, capsule diseases in the shoulder, and herniated discs in the spine are treated in a way that spares body tissue as much as possible. Patients turn mobile again quickly. The clinic specializes in cartilage transplantation in particular.

Prof. Saxler's clinic is one of ten German centres of excellence for cartilage transplantation.

Further information is available at the Dormagen District Hospital website.