Orthopaedics and trauma surgery The speciality of trauma surgery deals with the prevention, recognition, conservative and surgical treatment, aftercare and rehabilitation of surgical diseases, injuries and deformities.

• Acupuncture

The stimulation of acupuncture points is probably the oldest and most widespread healing method in the world. By inserting needles at precisely defined points on the skin, disorders inside the body can be eliminated or alleviated.

These acupuncture points are all located on lines known as meridians. According to ancient Chinese belief, the so-called life energy with its YIN and YANG components circulates in them. These two life-sustaining forces are active in the body at the same time, but as opposing poles. Their complete balance in the organism represents the ideal state of health. An imbalance leads to illness in the long term.

There are various ways of influencing acupuncture points. If needles are inserted into them, this is known as acupuncture, and they can also be stimulated using heat (moxibustion), ultrasound, laser beams or by applying pressure with a finger or a pen (acupressure).

If you look at the meridian pathways running through the body on an acupuncture chart, it becomes clear that points outside the actual pain area can also play a role in the treatment. Often the entire meridian must be stabilised as a functional circuit and not just a small local point in order to effectively combat an illness.

Some people are frightened by the thought of needles being inserted into their skin. However, most acupuncturists usually use very fine needles, so acupuncture treatment is easy to tolerate. The slight pain when an acupuncture needle is inserted is comparatively much less than when the doctor gives an injection. Children from the age of about eight can also be treated with acupuncture. Special, particularly thin needles are used for this. For even younger children, the completely painless acupuncture laser is used.

• Treatments with hyaluronic acid

Cartilage protection and reconstruction therapy with hyaluronic acid is the best-known and best-studied conservative form of treatment for osteoarthritis.

Osteoarthritis is a progressive destruction of the joint cartilage, which leads to remodelling of the bone close to the cartilage and thus disrupts joint function. Pain with swelling and restricted movement are just a few examples of the possible resulting symptoms. Hyaluronic acid is a central component of cartilage and serves as a "lubricant" in the joint. It not only enables the bones to glide, but also absorbs pressure under load thanks to its strong water binding properties.

Hyaluronic acid injected into the joint by a doctor not only improves the gliding properties, but also stimulates the body's own hyaluronic acid production in the cartilage. It also appears to have a pain-relieving and anti-inflammatory effect and counteract the progressive process of joint destruction.

Hyaluronic acid treatment can not only be used to treat existing osteoarthritis. Joint irritation caused by cartilage damage from various causes can also be sustainably improved by the treatment. In principle, hyaluronic acid treatment is suitable for any joint. However, it is used almost exclusively on the knee joint.