Shoulder Surgery in Germany

Almost one in ten patients complains of shoulder pain. © WavebreakmediaMicro, Fotolia

Shoulder pain can have many different causes. Muscle tension is common. But also traumata, arthrosis, calcifications or inflammations can cause pain in the highly complex shoulder joint. The structures affected are not only muscles: Tendons, ligaments and bones may also be affected. The prevalence of both acute and chronic shoulder pain has increased significantly among the general population over the last few years.

Almost every tenth patient suffers from shoulder pain today. This is due to the demographic development of the age groups, but increasingly also can be traced back to today’s tendency to lead a sedentary lifestyle and to hunched shoulders. Shoulder problems often cause excruciating pain that severely restricts mobility and persists over a long period of time. Pain at night can be particularly unpleasant. After injuries or inflammations of the shoulder joint, patients are often unable to lie on the affected shoulder for weeks. The pain can be both sharp and dull in nature.

Specialist shoulder treatment© Fotolia.com

The shoulder is one of the most sophisticated and complicated joints of the body. It has the greatest range of motion of any joint. The coordinated activity of numerous muscles working together in patterns is necessary to achieve this.

It is made up of four joints and five groups of bones.

To allow such a wide range of movement, shoulder joints need to be able to move freely rather than being fixed, but require a system of complex ligaments and muscles to keep it in the correct place.

Shoulder specialist approach to shoulder arthritis ©Viewmedica

Arthritis of the shoulder involves the swelling and damage of the joint. There are three main types of shoulder arthritis: Osteoarthritis of the shoulder, Rheumatoid Arthritis and Post traumatic shoulder arthritis after an accident. Some other words you might hear associated with shoulder arthritis are shoulder bursitis, rotator cuff tendonitis (both associated with Shoulder Impingement Syndrome) and adhesive capsulitis or "frozen shoulder" (this is the term to describe the symptoms when the connective tissue surrounding the glenohumeral joint become inflamed and stiff).

Arthroscopic Rotator Cuff Repair ©Viewmedica

The rotator cuff is made up of the tendons of four muscles. It surrounds the head of the humerus just as a cuff surrounds the wrist at the end of a sleeve. One part of these muscle attachments is located below the top of the shoulder. These tendons lie between two opposite, movable bones and are therefore easily damaged. The tendons keep the head of the humerus within the joint and provide stability when the arm is moved.

Arthroscopic surgery of shoulder impingement ©Viewmedica

Shoulder impingement occurs when the tendons of the rotator cuff and the subacromial bursa become compressed (squashed) against the acromion (a bone which sticks out from the scapula). If these tissues continually rub against bone, as time passes they become irritated and inflamed. This could be as a result of acromioclavicular joint arthritis, thickening or calcification (hardening due to the accumulation of calcium deposits) of the coracoacromial ligament, structural abnormalities of the acromion or weakness of the rotator cuff muscles.

What is Shoulder Replacement?

Total shoulder replacement or total shoulder arthroplasty. © Sebastian Kaulitzki - Fotolia.com

The shoulder is the most mobile joint in the human body. The shoulder joint is formed by the upper arm (humerus) and the shoulder socket (Glenoid). Total shoulder arthroplasty replaces both components of the "ball and socket" joint.

As is usual in joint replacement surgery, the ball at the humeral head is replaced by a metal device. The socket component is replaced by a smooth plastic device which replicates the function of the natural cartilage surface.

Prof. Dr. med Sven Ostermeier, Orthopaedic Specialist, Senior Consultant for Orthopaedic Shoulder and Knee Surgery

• Senior Orthopaedic Consultant
• Orthopaedic Specialist since 2007
• Professor university Hanover since 2013
• Assistant Professor since 2008
• Dissertation and medical PHD since 2001
• Major contributor to medical research on knee surgery, particularly patella disorders
• Expert Consultant and academic teacher for Arthroscopic knee surgery, Knee Replacement Surgery, Meniscus Repair, Unicompartmental Knee Replacement (Repicci), Cartilage Replacement, Anterior Cruciate Ligaments Reconstruction, Arthroscopic Shoulder Surgery, Shoulder Prosthetics
• Languages: English, French, German

PD Dr. med. habil. Bastian Marquaß, specialist for orthopaedics, trauma surgery and sports medicine

PD Dr. med. habil. Marquaß is a specialist for orthopaedics and trauma surgery, speciality trauma surgery and sports medicine at the Gelenk-Klinik Gundelfingen orthopaedic centre. In the area of surgery PD Dr. med. habil. Marquaß is specialised in knee surgery, shoulder surgery and elbow surgery.

He is a fellow of the committee for cartilage therapy and meniscus procedures at the Society for Arthroscopy and Joint Surgery (AGA).

Since 2014, PD. Dr. med. habil. Marquaß has been a don for orthopaedics and trauma surgery at the University of Leipzig.

The focus of scientific research of PD. Dr. med. habil. Marquaß is treating cartilage defects.