Gelenk-Klinik-Orthopaedic-Hospital-in Freiburg

26/11/2025

Femoral head necrosis: From early signs to treatment

Early signs
Femoral head necrosis begins when the blood supply to the hip bone decreases. As a result, the bone demineralises and loses stability. Patients typically notice groin pain during exertion or when the leg is rotated inward. In later stages, the pain also appears at rest.

Main causes
Femoral head necrosis in adults appears to be a typical disease of civilisation. Similar to a cardiac infarction, “hip infarction” is linked to risk factors such as smoking, high blood lipid levels and excessive alcohol consumption. Cortisone treatment particularly, when administered intravenously, has also become an increasingly important trigger.
In addition, circulatory disturbances can result from trauma, metabolic disorders, radiation, diving injuries or chemotherapy.

Who is affected?
Adults between 35 and 45 years are affected most frequently, and men more often than women. In 30-70% of all cases, femoral head necrosis occurs on both sides.

Progression
Without early treatment, the disorder can lead to irreparable damage to the hip joint and accelerate osteoarthritis, even though the cartilage itself is not directly affected.
A collapse of the femoral head marks the critical transition into a stage at which joint preserving treatments are no longer effective.

Treatment
In early stages, procedures such as core decompression (drilling) or corrective osteotomy can help restore blood circulation and reduce pressure within the bone.
In later stages, surgery is usually required to preserve hip function. If the joint surface has already collapsed, an artificial hip joint becomes necessary to restore mobility and relieve pain.

👉 Learn more about femoral head necrosis, diagnostic imaging, treatment pathways and surgical options on our website: https://www.joint-surgeon.com/orthopedic-services/hip-surgery/femoral-head-necrosis

03/11/2025

Your first contact for international patients 🌍

When contacting the Gelenk Klinik Orthopaedic Hospital, you will be assigned your personal case manager: Inessa Kryvonosova.

Support for international patients — from medical enquiry and visa guidance to travel and stay information.

Your enquiry will be answered as quickly as possible.

📧 care@joint-surgeon.com
☎️ +49 761 79117 228

Learn more: www.joint-surgeon.com

22/10/2025

Orthopaedic excellence in Germany

The Gelenk-Klinik Orthopaedic Hospital understands and supports international patients every step of the way.

Our healthcare professionals strive to acquire and share all relevant information clearly and effectively — to ensure not only the best orthopaedic outcome but also a positive treatment experience.

More than 24 000 patients per year, 2 400 surgeries, and 250 international patients trust our expertise in minimally invasive, muscle-preserving surgery.

Learn more: www.joint-surgeon.com

22/02/2025

“All hips and knee are strong now and working with no pain !
Please let doctor’s know this 75 year old man is very happy. Looking forward to golf season!”

Messages like these from all over the world – in this case, from Canada – reassure us in our work and bring us great joy. Our highest goal is to help people regain their quality of life and move without pain.

Thank you for your trust!
Your team at the Gelenkklinik

25/05/2023

Dear Claudia Ponert,
The entire staff of the Joint Clinic congratulates you on 10 years of international patient care 💐
You are an essential pillar in our team and have contributed to our clinic's reputation as a friendly place of well-being and recovery for international patients worldwide.
We appreciate you very much for your hard work and dedication over the past 10 years.
Congratulations on your 10th anniversary, and thank you for all you do for us and our patients!

21/04/2023

Medical Leaders at Gelenk-Klinik, Germany 🩺
Dr. Martin Rinio, MD, Senior Orthopaedic Consultant and Trauma Surgeon
Dr. med. Thomas Schneider - Senior Orthopaedic Specialist
Prof. Dr. med. Sven Ostermeier, Senior Orthopaedic Consultant
about Dr. Martin Rinio, MD, Senior Orthopaedic Consultant and Trauma Surgeon
PD Dr. med. habil. Bastian Marquaß, Senior Orthopaedic Consultant and Trauma Surgeon

https://www.joint-surgeon.com/orthopedic-consultant.html

07/03/2023

😄 63-year-old patient skiing after inserting a knee endoprosthesis (knee TEP) on BOTH sides three years ago!

👆 Our patient suffered from severe knee osteoarthritis on both sides. Prof Dr Ostermeier replaced both destroyed knee joints with artificial knee joints in 2019.

👍 Prof. Dr. med. Sven Ostermeier is a specialist in orthopaedics, trauma surgery and head orthopedist of the certified EndoProthetikZentrum (EPZ) at the Gelenk-Klinik Gundelfingen.

We are pleased about this success story! Thank you for allowing us to publish these pictures.

22/02/2023

🚶🏻‍♂️ Walking backwards has many health benefits, explains 👉 Dr. med. Thomas Schneider, foot and ankle specialist and head of the Center for Movement and Gait Analysis at the Gelenk-Klinik in Gundelfingen, in an interview ➡️

👍 "In general, this walking variation is recommended to strengthen the back and leg muscles. The otherwise usual, always the same load on the body is completely changed. The alternative to forward walking offers an excellent opportunity to train balance and coordination skills. Thanks to the smaller steps and walking on the forefoot, joints and heels are less strained. In particular, the impact loads on the knees are gentler when walking backwards in smaller steps than when walking forward."

15/02/2023

⚡️Pain is a purely subjective sensation, and there is hardly a worse experience than suffering from severe pain whose intensity we cannot communicate understandably.
👍 The pain scale helps patients, doctors and nursing staff, on which the patient ticks off how strongly they feel their current pain.

✅ Visual Analog Scale (VAS) The affected person indicates on a 10 cm line where his pain intensity currently lies. The starting point is "no pain", and the end is "severest pain imaginable". The number of cms corresponds to the respective pain intensity.
✅ Numerical analogue scale (NAS) The individual pain levels are subdivided at a distance of 1 cm with a numerical value of 0-10.
0 corresponds to "no pain", and 10 is "severest imaginable pain". The respective number corresponds to the analogue pain intensity.
✅ Smiley Analog Scale (SAS), six smiley faces reflect the current pain state. The affected person selects the face closest to their perception of pain.

🙂 Smilies and colours help children, elderly patients, patients with limited language skills, patients with dementia and patients with poor German language skills to express the intensity of their pain.

05/02/2023