Examples of treatments suitable for children

Baby foot. Our treatment concept

We base our treatment on state-of-the-art function-oriented methods. At the same time, permanent immobilisation in fixed plaster of Paris casts is dispensed with. Instead, regular stretching treatment and movement therapy supported by temporary fixing in lightweight plastic splints is used. In this way a deformed, malfunctioning foot becomes a straight functioning foot. The need for operations is significantly reduced as a result. If an operation is necessary, we perform a solution on the scarred joints by making a mini-cut on the inside of the foot. The aim of this operation is to restore the foot to its anatomically correct position and to avoid subsequent treatment with night-time splints, complicated inlays and heavy orthopaedic footwear over a long, tiresome period for the child. Following our corrective operations, the children can usually walk with completely normal footwear. Early postoperative movement of the foot is also performed for post-operative treatment of club feet. The advantage of this method is the substantially improved mobility of the feet after relevant interventions compared to feet which are immobilised in plaster of Paris for a very long time. As a result, the post-operative treatment is also more suitable for children, as the frequency and duration of the physiotherapy following an operation on a foot with previously good mobility with pre-trained muscles can be substantially reduced.

Treatment of baby's hip

If hip maturation disorders are identified early, complete healing can be achieved with simple splints. We use the particularly comfortable Tübinger groin splint, which ensures the greatest freedom of movement for the children and is easy to handle. Lightweight materials only are used instead of plaster of Paris, which is not longer worn for six weeks as before, but for maximum three weeks. In this way the child is able to achieve normal hip joint mobility as early as possible. The advantage of this is that the muscle is strengthened early and the child also does not have to suffer psychologically under all too long hospital stays. We perform joint improving operations on older children with residual joint malpositions. The close collaboration with paediatricians in clinics and medical practices encouraged by us enables optimum paediatric orthopaedic treatment during the newborn period in the event of possible deformities or malpositions in the locomotor system.

Hip diseases during growth period (morbus perthes)

Here too we use gentle, sparing operation methods wherever possible. The following operations for morbus perthes are performed in our centre: Bone correction operations on thigh bones close to the hip joint and interventions on the hip joint socket. In addition, in our clinic it is possible to achieve improved dilation of the shortened muscle structures within a short period by injecting botulinum toxin A in muscles shorted by the perthes disease. This is a new and very effective type of therapy, with which our paediatric orthopaedics centre has already acquired many years of good experience in relation to botulinum toxin therapy for treating stapstic muscle shortening.

Spinal diseases (scoliosis)

Here too, conservative and operative measures are used in cooperation with the spinal department of our clinic. We have set up a separate consultation especially for scoliosis patients. The consultation team is made up of a specialist from the spinal department, a paediatric orthopaedist and the hospital's orthopaedic technician, who also supplies the scoliosis corset. The team draws up an individual treatment strategy and the children can be optimally advised according to their age and scoliosis angle. If an operation is nevertheless unavoidable, this is performed in-house in collaboration with the spinal specialists. Regular corset checks and individual adjustments by our in-house orthopaedic technician, who has specialised in the production of appropriate corsets, round off the therapy offer. He is constantly in touch with specialists in this field, which enables corset supply to state of the art standards. In individual cases we also admit patients as in-patients, in order to enable appropriate physiotherapy exercises and to adjust the corset under medical supervision and psychological management and provide advice for the child and parents.

Infantile cerebral paresis (ICP)

If possible, we perform all necessary correction operations at once, i.e. under anaesthetic. This makes the treatment far easier for the children concerned. The post-operative follow-up treatment is intensively oriented on modern methods to increase patient comfort. All wounds are treated with self-dissolving skin stitches and are covered with transparent, watertight wound dressing, which seldom have to be changed after the operation. Immobilisation following the operation was reduced to the minimum necessary time, extremely modern, partly flexible and especially lightweight plastic materials are used. Later, most children can be treated with specially produced inlays (so-called "Jahrling inlays").

Spina bifida

Here too, it makes life easier for the sick children if all the necessary interventions, i.e. bone and soft tissue operations, are performed in one session. Self-dissolving suture materials and transparent dressings which can usually be left for the whole wound healing period are also used to ease post-operative treatment. We enable extensive short immobilisation periods in lightweight plastic casts.

Treatment of muscular diseases (muscular dystrophy)

Among other things, we perform the soft part relaxing operation (so-called "Rideau programme") and correction of spinal malposition on these patients. The spinal operations are performed together with the in-house spinal centre. The following operations for muscular dystrophy are performed in our paediatric orthopaedics centre: Elongation of hip flexor, knee flexor and Achilles tendon. The aim is to cut through the shortened tendons or their extension in the muscle so that a neutral position can be achieved again in the relevant joint. In this way the joints can be fully bent and stretched again and the effort required for the children to sit, stand and walk again is far less.