Knee Injuries: a Historical Perspective
In 200 A.D. Claudius Galen of Pergamon became the first medical practitioner to ascribe a structurally stabilizing role to the ligaments in the knee joint. Previously, the cruciate ligaments had been believed to belong to the nervous system. However, even Galen did not foresee how many athletes would injure their knee joints skiing and snowboarding in the distant future.
In the Swiss alps alone, 60,000 fractures, contusions and ruptured ligaments were recorded during the 1999/2000 ski season. It is estimated that one million anterior cruciate ligaments are torn worldwide during skiing each year.
Since the 1970s the number of ruptured cruciate ligaments in Switzerland has increased six-fold - and the trend continues. Consequently, the treatment of serious knee injuries is subject to constant flux and is characterized by a constant search for improvements. The primary objective here is to achieve optimal results and long-term outcome with minimally invasive procedures. This kind of therapy allows the patient to return to his or her original sport as soon as possible - and has the least risks.
Within the wide range of treatments offered at Klinik Sonnenhof, arthroscopc knee-joint surgery is an area of special emphasis. A team of athletes, physiotherapists and sport orthopedists work together in this area to restore the patient s health and life quality with a customized rehabilitation program.
- Transplantation of cartilage and bone in patients with damaged cartilage
New developments within the field of sport orthopedics play a leading role here. Regeneration of a worn joint, i.e. degenerative arthritis of the knee or «gonarthrosis», is a major therapeutic challenge. Recently impressive advances have been made - in particular in the biotechnoloy area of tissue engineering (tissue cultivation). Meniscus replacement, navigation systems and cybersurgery are all underging further testing and development.
- Hinged ivory prosthesis
In 1890 Mr. Gluck presented a hinged ivory apparatus which was a forerunner of today's artificial knee joints. One can't help wondering how this prosthetic pioneer would have reacted if he had been confronted with the efforts being made in genetic engineering today?
- Movable polyethylene inlay in an artificial knee joint
Today knee joint replacement is a routine technical procedure. Cementless modular implants are used which permit adequate joint function; this is achieved, for example, by the use of movable polyethylene inlays, a kind of «plastic meniscus».
The level of development attained in the field of sport orthopedics during the last ten years can be attributed, to a significant extent, to the innovative work carried out at individual specialized hospitals and and to the orthopedic specialists working there. With the advent of robot-controlled instruments, a previously unknown precision has been realized in joint replacment - this precision is the guarantee of reproducible perfect results.