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Knee osteoarthritis - Avoid a prosthesis with this new treatment

My name is Olaf Beck, MD, I am an orthopaedic surgeon and have specialised in hip-knee-joint for over 15 years. Here, you'll learn:

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What new treatment options there are for knee osteoarthritis
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How you can live free of symptoms again
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How to avoid a knee prosthesis
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Jameda Badge Note 1,3 für die Praxis arthropraxDeutsche Gemeinschaft für Arthrosemanagement e.V. LogoSanego empfiehlt Dr. med Olaf Beck

How to save your knee

What is osteoarthritis?

Osteoarthritis is the wear and tear of joint structures. This primarily includes the irreversible destruction of joint cartilage. In the further course, the cartilage tears open. The defects become deeper and larger, resulting in painful cartilage damage.

Due to increasing axial misalignment, muscles, tendons and capsule structures are also affected. The resulting complaints are pain, limited mobility, swelling, axial misalignment and stiffness.

Important: Waiting is the wrong strategy for osteoarthritis! With early treatment, all possibilities can be used to rebuild the cartilage and thus avoid premature joint wear. The need for an artificial knee joint can also be delayed or prevented in this way.

Knee osteoarthritis: Conservative treatment options

With all forms of arthrosis, the following applies: "You snooze, you lose". But how should you move if the pain restricts this?

With knee osteoarthritis, there are many conservative measures that can reduce the pain. For example, physiotherapy, walking aids, medication or knee-friendly sports. However, the measures depend strongly on the motivation and patience of the patient.

Complete cartilage regeneration and thus a completely symptom-free life is very lengthy, only possible at all under certain conditions and sometimes impossible. Therefore, it makes sense to think about regenerative cartilage procedures.

The treatment to restore the original cartilage that will help you live pain-free again

In the past, there were many surgical measures that helped the patient in the short term, but were not sufficient in the long term. For example, the use of an artificial knee joint was only delayed with the "old" methods, but not prevented.

Current studies have shown that over 50 % of all hip and knee prosthesis implantations would not be necessary! This is where our new, state-of-the-art therapy options come in.

With our procedure it is possible to heal most cartilage defects and thus prevent a prosthesis. And this up to a 4th degree cartilage damage.

With more than 600 successfully performed chondrofiller operations, we are one of the world's most experienced practices in this field. Every year, arthroprax performs as many meniscus implantations as all other German doctors combined. So you are in the best hands.

Newest method: Use of collagen for cartilage damage

Collagen is found in all structures of the human body. As a protein, it is the main component of skin, tendons and cartilage. To repair a cartilage defect, we use a highly pure biological collagen gel that was developed for the therapy of cartilage damage at the Frauenhofer Institute.

This gel only needs to be applied to the defect through a minimally invasive procedure.

Over the next few weeks, cartilage induction occurs, which means that the surrounding cartilage cells grow into this gel. That's why I like to describe it as fertiliser.

The clear advantage of the gel is that the implant does not have to be cut to size, but adapts completely to the defect.

Existing studies show that there is regeneration of the cartilage after a short time. In our own observations, we can confirm this in control MRI examinations after 8 months.

Below are images from the study: "Beck OT: Cartilage induction using cell-free collagen matrix (Chondrofiller liquid). Clinical and MRI follow-up. OUP 2018; 7: 620-624 DOI 10.3238/oup.2018.0620-0624"

Abbildung 1  - 40 Jahre, männlich, Marathonläufer, Z.n. Arthroplastie, vorher
Figure 1
40 years, male, marathon runner, post arthroplasty, before
Abbildung 2  - Kontrolle 8 Monate postoperativ
Figure 2
Control 8 months postoperatively

The advantage over all previous measures

The advantage over all previous cartilage regenerative measures is that the original cartilage is created again. The patient gets fully resilient cartilage again without the use of foreign materials.

The previous competing procedures were microfracturing and autologous chondrocyte transplantation. In the latter, the knee joint was treated in two operations. In the first operation, cells were removed; in the second, the cultured cells were inserted into the defect.

In the case of cartilage induction with the gel described above, it is the case that a single arthroscopy is completely sufficient, as it is possible to reach and treat all defects with this procedure.

Limits of the procedure

The limits of the procedure with collagen lie in the defect size: max. 4 cm diameter. The opposite side must have a largely intact cartilage cover, as it is through this structure that the surface modelling takes place. Also, more than 50% of the meniscus should be present. If this is not the case, it is possible to implant a replacement meniscus during the operation.

With early treatment, all possibilities can be used to preserve your biological joint!

I would be happy to advise you personally and without obligation in your case as well.

Schedule an initial consultation →

The benefits of this treatment

Avoiding a knee prosthesis

If the therapy is successful, you will avoid the use of an artificial knee joint. The cartilage will fulfil its function again as before and you can live free of complaints.

Minimally invasive method

This one-off mini-intervention means that the knee does not have to be opened. This significantly shortens the regeneration time and you can return to everyday life pain-free more quickly.

Up to 100% cartilage regeneration

With this treatment method, the original cartilage is created again. The patient therefore has no foreign material in the body, but 100% natural, fully resilient cartilage.

About me

I have specialised in the field of arthrosis therapy for over 15 years. During this time, I worked under the supervision of Dr. Rolf Walter, who performed knee joint-preserving operations on handball/ice hockey/ and football league players.

Minimally invasive techniques can thus significantly delay joint prostheses, especially at the knee joint. Thanks to my many years of experience in joint surgery, I can provide you with comprehensive advice and care in this field.

I am respected worldwide as an expert and in recent years I have been invited to speak at several high-profile international congresses.

Sanego empfiehlt Dr. med Olaf BeckJameda Badge Note 1,3 für die Praxis arthroprax
Möchten Sie wissen, was ein Experte denkt? Mit mehr als 15 Jahren Erfahrung in der Behandlung von Knorpelschäden und Arthrose ist Dr. Olaf Beck führender Experte auf diesem Gebiet.

What my patients say

"By chance, I found Arthoprax during a Google search. Despite landing from abroad and the complicated diagnosis (cartilage damage to the kneecap), we were immediately impressed by Dr Beck's expertise and rigour. Dr. Beck learned the complex procedure and performed it in an exemplary manner. Dr Beck is thorough like no other orthopaedic surgeon. At our first appointment, he spent almost 45 minutes with us discussing the MRI results and x-rays. What struck us immediately was his holistic vision: the cause may not have been athletic stress (marathon running), but a misalignment of the hip or even a genetic defect. The day after the first meeting I asked for an appointment for surgery and got it within two weeks (Beethovenklinik in Cologne). Immediately after the operation, at 6:30 in the morning, Dr. Beck came by the clinic. The next day he showed us photos on DVD of the various cartilage wear points. He mentioned in passing that the operation had taken two hours because he had had to find solutions for other defect sites. This practice is highly recommended for athletes. Now I have renewed hope that I can save my knee joint and resume long-distance running. The experience with Dr Beck and his team was just great."

Verified Jameda review

"Dr Beck is a very good orthopaedist, always nice and friendly. He also takes time for his patients. I had very severe knee pain and also already had a knee arthroscopy in 2011 without much success, but another doctor. After examination and MRI and consultation, Dr Beck explained the new treatment with collagen in great detail and answered every question with patience. When I decided to go for it, the operation by Dr Beck followed. I could hardly believe it, there was almost no pain and the physiotherapy was problem-free. I can only recommend Dr Beck. But also his practice team is always helpful and very friendly. Thank you again for the loving care".

Verified Jameda review

"After detailed questioning about the complaints in the knee, the examination and an initial diagnosis followed, which was confirmed by an MRI. A good and detailed consultation followed, during which medical alternatives were discussed. After a period of reflection and further questions, which were answered patiently and in understandable terms, I decided on the "collagen gel" method to treat the cartilage defect in the course of an arthroscopy. The operation, performed by Dr. Beck himself, went smoothly. There was no pain in the knee after the operation. The follow-up treatment with the appropriate therapies (lymph drainage, gymnastics) was very successful. I am completely satisfied! Thank you Dr. Beck and his team!"

Verified Jameda review
Jameda Badge Note 1,3 für die Praxis arthropraxDeutsche Gemeinschaft für Arthrosemanagement e.V. LogoSanego empfiehlt Dr. med Olaf Beck
Vereinbaren Sie noch heute einen Beratungstermin und erfahren Sie mehr über unsere Behandlungsmethoden. Mit unserer Expertise in der regenerativen Gelenkorthopädie können wir Ihnen helfen, Hüft- oder Knieprothesen zu vermeiden.
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Please note: Dr. Beck's innovative therapeutic services are unfortunately not currently covered by statutory health insurance. This also applies to supplementary insurance.
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