Shoulder Specialists Hamburg: Prof Kircher & PD Dr Hudek

Prof Dr Jörn Kircher and PD Dr Robert Hudek are shoulder and elbow surgery specialists at the ATOS Klinik Fleetinsel Hamburg.

Being a highly specialized shoulder and elbow surgery facility, the Fleetinsel Clinic Hamburg treats all diseases involving the shoulder and elbow joint. Prof Kircher and PD Dr Hudek also focus on minimally invasive arthroscopic techniques for complex procedures and use modern modular and bone-saving implants for joint replacement.

Osteoarthritis of the Shoulder: Diagnosis, Treatment & Surgery for Shoulder Osteoarthritis

Degenerative changes in the shoulder joint are common and sometimes mean severe pain for those affected during everyday movements. Older patients in particular, but also younger people, can develop disturbing signs of wear and tear on the shoulder due to excessive or incorrect strain during sports or at work.

Degenerative abrasion of the joint cartilage causes bone-to-bone friction, resulting in pain. Here, the specialists at Fleetinsel in Hamburg also initially recommend anti-inflammatory medication, special physiotherapy, and heat treatments. Injecting hyaluronic acid or autologous blood into the joint space as a temporary lubricant can relieve pain for more advanced osteoarthritis.

Shoulder joint replacement usually is the only treatment for advanced and severe osteoarthritis. The shoulder specialists will find the appropriate model for the individual patient. The team prefers bone-saving procedures whenever possible and state-of-the-art surgical techniques.

State-of-the-Art Therapy Approaches: Impingement Syndrome of the Shoulder

Impingement syndrome is a common shoulder condition associated with joint inflammation and pain during movement. A lack of space in the shoulder joint leads to compression of the tendons of the rotator cuff and the bursa during specific movements.

The tunnel where the tendons run can become constricted due to age-related degeneration, overloading, and specific repetitive movements at work. This can lead to inflammation and swelling of the soft tissue, resulting in severe pain. This occurs mainly when the arm is raised at a certain angle and when sleeping on the affected side. Both older and younger people can be affected. If the problem persists over a longer period, the constant contact between the tendons and the bony structures in the gliding canal can lead to minor injuries. In the worst case, this can result in tendon rupture.

The shoulder surgery specialists at ATOS Klink Fleetinsel in Hamburg take a detailed medical history and carry out the necessary diagnostic steps with the utmost expertise. This includes ultrasound examinations and other imaging procedures such as X-rays and MRI. First of all, the team of doctors led by Prof Kircher and PD. Dr Hudek discuss the conservative treatment options with the patient. These include taking anti-inflammatory medication, physiotherapy, and physical therapy.

If sufficient improvement cannot be achieved this way, surgery is an option. In a minimally invasive procedure, shoulder specialists widen the bony space to create more room for the affected tendons and soft tissue. An inflamed bursa can be removed during the surgery. After two weeks, targeted physiotherapy is carried out by specially trained therapists

Rotator Cuff Rupture Specialist Hamburg: Treatment of One of the Most Common Shoulder Disorders

The rotator cuff is a group of four muscles responsible for movement and stabilization in the shoulder joint. The four essential shoulder muscles coordinate rotational movement and lifting of the arm. An injury to the rotator cuff leads to pain when lifting the arm and a significant loss of strength. Rotational movement is also restricted.

Signs of degeneration and incorrect stress can cause injuries to the muscle group. Untreated impingement syndrome or an accident involving the shoulder can also result in a rotator cuff injury.

Orthopedic surgeons use imaging techniques for diagnosis. During an arthroscopy of the shoulder joint, the damage can be visualized in detail, and small tears can be treated during the arthroscopy.

More significant injuries require more complex surgery. Depending on the rupture and damage pattern, various surgical techniques are available. The best possible recovery of strength and mobility is the top priority afterward.

The treatment of massive cuff tears and lesions which are present for a long time sometimes require alternative approaches to classic reconstruction techniques. In addition to the known tendon transfers, such as the Latissimus-dorsi-transfer, Pectoralis-major-transfer and the Lower-Trapezius-transfer, patch materials can be utilized. There is a long-term experience in the development and application of autologous tendon patches at the Klinik Fleetinsel Hamburg.

Dislocated Shoulder: Greatest Expertise in the Treatment of Shoulder Dislocation

Falls or accidents can cause the humeral head to slip out of the socket. This can result in injuries to the ligament connections between the shoulder blade and collarbone and to the acromioclavicular joint. This injury pattern occurs more frequently in some sports, e.g., martial arts, skiing, mountain biking, and motorcycling.

Patients usually come with a typical relieving posture, severe pain, and often a drop in the arm. The shoulder specialists at Fleetinsel in Hamburg have great experience treating such sports injuries and creating an individual and suitable treatment concept.

Depending on the severity of the injury, X-ray diagnostics are used to decide whether it can be treated conservatively or surgery is required. In some cases, an MRI is also necessary to adequately image the ligament structures. In the case of a dislocated shoulder, the humeral head is repositioned using special techniques in a sitting or lying position with pain relief.

The patients are informed that the shoulder has become more unstable after the first shoulder dislocation. The humeral head may dislocate from the socket again at any time. Surgery is always carried out to repair the damage if bones or soft tissue are also affected. In most cases, this can be carried out using minimally invasive shoulder arthroscopy and rarely takes longer than an hour.

Physicians usually recommend surgery for younger patients to stabilize and strengthen the shoulder as the likelihood of a recurrence of dislocation is very high. After sufficient rest of the arm, special physiotherapy should be carried out to restore mobility.

Many Years of Experience in Implanting Shoulder Endoprostheses

Implanting a shoulder prosthesis is a complex procedure and requires many years of experience. The shoulder surgery team led by Prof Kircher and PD Dr Hudek carries out the procedure with great skill and expertise to achieve excellent results and high patient satisfaction.

The important selection of the prosthesis model is made, and then the correct implantation is carried out intraoperatively with the shoulder specialists' profound knowledge. The medical team discusses which procedure is suitable with the patient in detail beforehand.

A bone-sparing and soft tissue-preserving procedure is the top priority and is implemented by orthopedic surgeons using the latest surgical techniques.

Modern shaft-free and convertible systems are possible for many patients. This effectively provides for the future, even with a long service life, if revisions become necessary at an advanced age.

3-dimensional planning of the endoprosthesis position is becoming increasingly important. The medical team has many years of experience in this field and is constantly developing the methods further.

The physicians at the ATOS Klinik Fleetinsel provide patient-oriented pre- and postoperative treatment with sufficient time for questions.

Patients will always find a contact person and receive detailed information from the clinic on aftercare and care of the implant. ATOS Klinik Fleetinsel also stands out for its many years of experience and expertise in revision surgeries and prosthesis replacements.

Please visit the ATOS Klinik Fleetinsel Hamburg website for more information.