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Arthrosis Treatment in Germany

Arthrosis is a chronic disease associated with gradual destruction of cartilage tissue. The entire joint undergoes pathological changes. Growths form on synovial membranes, ligaments, and joint capsules, limiting mobility. This is the most common pathology of the musculoskeletal system, diagnosed in 6-7% of people. Ignoring the disease or incorrectly chosen therapy tactics can lead to disability. Arthrosis treatment in Germany provides an opportunity to completely get rid of all unpleasant symptoms.

Causes of the Disease

Arthrosis causes photo

Arthrosis is a disease that develops when metabolism is disturbed. The disease can be:

  • primary (idiopathic) — when it is not possible to identify the exact cause of dystrophic changes;
  • secondary — when disorders are caused by pathological processes, including injuries or other diseases.

Causes of secondary arthrosis can include autoimmune processes, congenital weakness of connective tissue, developmental anomalies of the musculoskeletal system, or blood diseases.

The risk group includes patients with a history of:

  • endocrine disorders;
  • obesity;
  • neurodystrophic disorders.

Chronic arthrosis can affect people who subject their joints to excessive loads daily, including athletes. The pathology often progresses in old age, as joints wear out over time and cartilage tissue recovers slowly. Statistically, arthrosis is diagnosed in 65-85% of patients over 65 years old.

Arthrosis Symptoms

The disease is classified by stages of development. Each of them has its own internal changes:

  1. First stage. Diagnosis is difficult because symptoms are mild. The composition of synovial fluid changes. Cartilage tissue nutrition worsens, its resistance to loads decreases. The patient may experience episodic pain.
  2. Second stage. The process of cartilage destruction begins. Bone growths form. Tissues become inflamed. The work of muscles surrounding the joint is disrupted. Pain becomes constant, its intensity grows. At this stage, the disease can be mistaken for an arthritis exacerbation.
  3. Third stage. Multiple foci of destruction form in cartilage tissue. The joint deforms, the axis of the limb changes, ligaments shorten. The patient complains of acute pain and stiffness.

Arthrosis treatment will be effective if the pathology is diagnosed at an early stage. With significant cartilage destruction and joint deformation, the choice of methods narrows significantly. In late stages, only surgical intervention will help, so diagnosis should not be delayed. You should see a doctor even with mild discomfort.

Symptoms photo

The key symptom of the pathology is pain. In arthrosis, it can have different characteristics:

  • starting pain — occurs when trying to bend or straighten the joint after rest due to settling of destroyed cartilage components, passes with movement;
  • night pain — has an aching character, bothers due to venous blood stasis;
  • load-related pain — intensifies during walking or running, as the joint loses its ability to absorb landing impacts;
  • weather-related pain — intensifies with high humidity, pressure changes, temperature fluctuations;
  • joint blockage — sudden shooting pain associated with pinching of cartilage tissue or nerve endings.

Not only the affected area can hurt. For example, with left knee joint arthrosis, the patient will experience discomfort on the opposite side due to redistribution of load on the legs.

Already at the second stage of the disease, other symptoms join the pain — crunching during movement, cramps at rest. A person with advanced knee or ankle arthrosis develops lameness. Concomitant spinal curvature is possible.

Dangerous Complications

Arthrosis treatment should not be delayed. The disease constantly progresses. Periods of acute pain alternate with remission with symptom fading, but cartilage tissue continues to deteriorate. In late stages, the joint becomes severely deformed.

Due to pathological changes in bone tissue, mobility is limited. With knee joint damage, the patient cannot bear weight on the leg and is forced to use a cane. The person loses work capacity. Disability registration is possible.

Disease Diagnosis

Diagnostic equipment photo

Diagnosis of joint pathologies in German clinics is a comprehensive examination of the patient using modern equipment. At the preliminary stage, the doctor conducts a visual examination of the patient, analyzes complaints, evaluates the nature of pain and the level of mobility of the affected joint.

Then they proceed to instrumental diagnostic methods. In Germany, preference is given to the following studies:

  • ultrasound diagnostics;
  • radiography;
  • magnetic resonance imaging;
  • computed tomography;
  • synovial fluid puncture.

Instrumental diagnostics allows excluding similar pathologies, including arthritis, and accurately determining the stage of the disease and the number of lesion foci.

Additionally, the patient is prescribed laboratory blood and urine tests. These studies allow assessing the general condition of the body and the intensity of the inflammatory process. Based on the data obtained, the doctor will make a prognosis and determine arthrosis therapy tactics.

Arthrosis Treatment Methods in German Clinics

German doctors prefer safe methods. In the early stages, patients are offered effective conservative treatment. A good way to combat progressive degenerative changes is a comprehensive approach combining medication and minimally invasive methods. In the most severe cases, endoprosthetics is performed with subsequent monitoring.

Drug Therapy

Arthrosis treatment in the exacerbation phase involves taking medications. This is an effective method for quickly relieving pain and improving well-being. In Germany, medications are more often used not as standalone treatments, but as an auxiliary element of comprehensive therapy.

First-line drugs for arthrosis treatment:

  1. NSAIDs. Prevent the spread of inflammation inside the joint and surrounding tissues. Relieve pain of any nature. In severe cases, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs can be replaced with hormonal medications.
  2. Chondroprotectors. Protect cartilage from further destruction. Partially restore its structure. Improve tissue trophism and metabolic processes.
  3. Vasodilators. Restore normal blood flow when arteries are compressed by bone growths.

Additionally, at the discretion of the attending physician, the patient may be prescribed sedatives to relieve anxiety and muscle relaxants to eliminate muscle spasms. Dosages and course duration are always determined individually.

Minimally Invasive Treatment Methods

arthroscopy

In Germany, minimally invasive arthrosis treatment methods are actively practiced. One of the most in-demand techniques is arthroscopy. The procedure involves accessing the damaged joint without completely opening the cavity. The doctor makes three small incisions, and all manipulations are performed under the control of a digital camera transmitting the image to a screen.

Arthroscopy is used in the treatment of knee, elbow, shoulder, or hip joint arthrosis. The method allows:

  • improve joint mobility;
  • eliminate minor curvature;
  • remove unstable fragments;
  • initiate cartilage tissue restoration.

The main advantage of arthroscopy is quick recovery after the procedure. This is a gentle technique that does not require special rehabilitation conditions, but the patient must spend some time in the clinic under medical supervision. This precaution will minimize the risks of complications.

In the early stages of knee or ankle arthrosis, German clinics perform cartilage microfracturing. The technique involves drilling bone tissue under the destroyed cartilage. Blood enters the lesion foci, forming exudate during clotting. The fluid contains bone marrow stem cells, which later transform into cartilage tissue elements. Fibrous connective tissue forms. It is less elastic but capable of supporting joint functions.

An alternative minimally invasive treatment is chondrocyte transplantation. The doctor performs a cartilage tissue biopsy. For 6-8 weeks, cells are cultivated under laboratory conditions, and later implanted into the affected joint area. This way, cartilage tissue deficiency can be compensated and endoprosthetics postponed.

During the recovery period after transplantation, it is important to ensure complete rest for 6 weeks. Then partial load is given. If the knee, hip, or ankle joint was operated on, a support is used when walking for at least 3 months.

Long recovery is not the only disadvantage of this arthrosis treatment tactic. The technique involves double intervention — for diagnosis and material collection, and then for its transplantation. Artificially grown tissue is not always of high quality, and in some cases is rejected by the body. To minimize risks in joint treatment, specialists in German clinics prefer other methods.

Innovative Technologies

Treatment of joint pathologies in Germany is an opportunity not only to smooth out unpleasant symptoms but also to eliminate the cause of pain. German clinics offer a unique MIBRAR technology based on natural recovery processes. This is an innovation in orthopedics that allows treating even complex cases of arthrosis without long rehabilitation. It is used for knee, elbow, hip, or shoulder joint damage.

For treatment, the patient's autogenous regenerative fraction AHK® enriched with growth factors and autologous lipogenic fraction ALK® are used. During the procedure, the doctor injects autologous regenerative concentrates directly into the affected joint. Natural recovery processes are initiated in it. The result of treatment is prevention of bone tissue deformation and cessation of cartilage destruction.

Joint Replacement

Endoprosthetics

Full or partial joint replacement is a measure used in German clinics in extreme cases. Doctors recommend endoprosthetics only for advanced disease when drug and minimally invasive therapy are ineffective.

German specialists will do everything to preserve native bone tissue. Today, compact implants are installed in clinics, which are manufactured on a modular principle. Prostheses serve flawlessly for at least 10 years.

The most in-demand operation is knee joint replacement. Shoulder or elbow injuries are less common. As a rule, in these cases, the disease develops more slowly due to reduced load. Doctors manage to cope with the disease without surgical intervention.

Rehabilitation in German Clinics

Rehabilitation

Recovery duration depends on the degree of joint damage and the chosen treatment method. Patients who have undergone endoprosthetics have the hardest time, but even in this case, German clinic doctors manage to stop destructive processes and restore motor functions.

The rehabilitation program is selected individually. Classic methods practiced in German clinics:

  • various types of massage;
  • physical therapy;
  • manual therapy;
  • osteopathy;
  • acupuncture;
  • balneotherapy;
  • aqua gymnastics.

Non-standard methods that give excellent results are available to patients:

  • foot reflex zone massage;
  • muscle electrical stimulation;
  • functional training;
  • Smovey vibration ring exercises;
  • GYROTONIC system exercises.

Rehabilitation measures are designed to normalize blood circulation, relieve pain associated with muscle spasms, remove inflammation of tissues surrounding the joint, and warm up ligaments. With regular sessions, joint mobility is restored.

If necessary, the rehabilitation program at the clinic can be adjusted by the doctor. With a competent approach, knee or elbow joint mobility can be restored in just 4-6 months.

Treatment Prices

The final cost is determined after developing an individual therapy program. The price depends on a number of factors:

  • disease stage;
  • diagnostic measures;
  • medication costs;
  • treatment tactics;
  • rehabilitation period duration.

Approximate prices for orthopedic services in German clinics are shown in this table:

Service NamePrice, €Additional
Arthrosis Diagnosis5000–55005 days, inpatient
Endoprosthetics3 days, inpatient
Periarticular Osteotomy7000–90009 days, inpatient
Arthrodesis19000–2500010 days, inpatient
All treatment prices in Germany.

Advantages of Treatment in Germany

When contacting German clinics, the patient can be confident in the high quality of medical care. Arthrosis treatment in Germany means:

  • full range of diagnostic procedures;
  • state-of-the-art equipment;
  • high-tech operating rooms;
  • innovative therapy methods;
  • full rehabilitation cycle under specialist supervision;
  • top-category doctors.

Sporthopaedicum Joint Surgery Center

9.9/10
📍Seestraße 10-12, 80802 München, Germany

MVZ SPORTHOPAEDICUM

The Sporthopaedicum Joint Surgery Center is located in Germany and has 4 major departments. Specialists work on diagnosing and treating diseases of the musculoskeletal system.

WGZM Clinic (Mibrar)

10/10
📍München, Germany / Yerevan, Armenia

Spine & Joint Center — Regenerative Orthopedics

Professor Babayan's specialized center. Treatment of spine and joint diseases using the patented MIBRAR® technology — no incisions, no anesthesia, outpatient. More than 25,000 successful procedures. The world's only center offering the full range of MIBRAR® techniques.
Munich Clinic — Grosjeanstr. 2, 81925 München
Yerevan Clinic — Nikogayos Tigranyan St., 1st Lane, 8, Yerevan, Armenia

OCM Orthopedic Surgery Munich

9.7/10
📍Steinerstraße 6, 81369 München, Germany

OCM (Orthopedic Surgery Munich) Clinic

The clinic performs specialized surgeries that effectively deal with skeletal diseases, joint and spine injuries.

If you are determined to cure arthrosis and forget about joint pain, contact us. We will select a clinic in Germany that specializes in orthopedic diseases. Our company will accompany you at all stages of treatment from document collection to discharge.

If diagnosed with Coxarthrosis

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Diagnosis and treatment in Germany
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Treatment report in your language
Advantages of treatment in Germany
operating room
High-tech operating rooms
Navigation systems for operations
Navigation systems for operations
equipment
Modern endoscopic equipment
robot
Robot-assisted operations
Monitoring systems
Intraoperative monitoring systems
3D scanner
3D scanner for operation planning
Microsurgery
Microsurgery under ultrasound control
methods
Latest surgical methods
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Patient Relations Specialist Svetlana Malygina Your questions will be answered by Patient Relations Specialist Svetlana Malygina