Prof. Dr. med. Dr. phil. Dipl.-Ing. (FH) Andrej M. Nowakowski

When the new medical director of the Clinic for Orthopaedics and Traumatology of the Musculoskeletal System at the Cantonal Hospital Baselland was elected and presented in 2020, the appointment made headlines. A special reputation preceded the new man: With Prof. Dr med. Dr phil. Dipl.-Ing. (FH) Andrej M. Nowakowski, who was also appointed head physician alongside Prof. Dr med. Michael Hirschmann, an enormously versatile specialist is strengthening the hospital network – a person who approaches everything he does with tremendous passion. Although Prof. Dr Nowakowski has a high level of expertise in the entire musculoskeletal system, he has specialised with great dedication in one joint: When it comes to the hip, there is no disease or injury with which we are not very familiar. And in endoprosthetics, his expertise is highly regarded internationally. Since December 2022, the two chief physicians have also headed the "Center for the Musculoskeletal System", which offers pain-stricken and injured people a wealth of expertise in orthopedics and traumatology, pain therapy, physical medicine and musculoskeletal rehabilitation under one roof.

A three-part hospital network around Basel plays an important role in providing medical and nursing care to people throughout the region: The Cantonal Hospital with its sites in Liestal and Bruderholz and the Outpatient Centre Laufen is regarded as an important point of contact not only by patients from the Basel area but also from Germany and France. There are many reasons for this – among others, it is due to the fact that all clinic managements are staffed with renowned medical specialists.

The Clinic for Orthopaedics and Traumatology of the Musculoskeletal System has always been highly regarded as one of the medical focal points at the Cantonal Hospital Baselland. At the Bruderholz site, where complete acute medical care with intensive care, rehabilitation and professional nursing are offered under one roof, patients can rely on the entire spectrum of orthopaedics and traumatology – in one of the largest orthopaedic centres in the whole of Switzerland.

Unique: enormous versatility and absolute specialisation

With Prof. Dr med. Dr phil. Dipl.-Ing. (FH) Andrej M. Nowakowski, the tradition-steeped clinic has now received a prominent addition who possesses precisely the desired expertise. As a specialist in orthopaedic surgery and traumatology of the musculoskeletal system (FMH), he has dedicated himself clinically and scientifically in particular to joint replacement in the hip and knee areas. He excels with minimally invasive surgical procedures. Whether it's about joint preservation or artificial joints: His expertise is high in all areas and also includes the latest findings in complex exchange operations and elaborate reconstructions through to tumour prosthetics and mega prostheses.

The fact that this amazing specialist is now one of the internationally renowned specialists in hip arthroplasty in particular is explained by his unique life story. For at first he studied mechanical engineering as part of an officer's career in Munich. In the process, he stumbled upon an area that ignited his passion – and that is: He threw himself wholeheartedly into medical technology, and especially into the field of technical biomedicine. Soon he had a plan: He wanted to improve artificial joints – and he realised that the prostheses commonly used at the time could certainly be optimised.

Prostheses for hip and knee: several patents

In order to focus fully on arthroplasty, he needed comprehensive knowledge of anatomy – and at the age of 28 he decided to start studying medicine at Hanover Medical School. He also financed this study by founding an engineering office, through which he was active as an expert. In addition, he was able to supplement his budget with his other passion, playing basketball, by playing for top-class teams. Even then, he applied for several patents for the optimisation of artificial joints – and of course it was clear which speciality he would pursue as a doctor: orthopaedics. With medicine, or rather orthopaedics, he had found his destiny – and already a new home with his first internship: Basel. Basel. There, at the University of Basel, he also completed his internationally homologated PhD studies in biomedical engineering (Dr phil. II).

Liestal, Laufen and Basel were his other stations. At the University Hospital Basel, he intensified his knowledge in hip and pelvic surgery as well as in infectious and tumour orthopaedics from 2011 to 2017 – from 2015 as senior physician. In the same year, he was also awarded the authorisation to teach orthopaedic surgery by the University of Basel. In 2017, he moved to the hospital in Uster in the canton of Zurich, where as head physician he significantly expanded the orthopaedics department within a short time and turned it into a successful department. At the insistent request of the Baselland Cantonal Hospital, he finally returned to Basel, which was like a return home for him: He feels at home here – and here he is very well connected, not least due to his many years of professional activity.

Hip surgery – from joint preservation to endoprosthetics in perfection

Anyone who approaches the Department of Hip Surgery, Tumour and Infectious Orthopaedics in the Clinic for Orthopaedics and Traumatology of the Musculoskeletal System at the Cantonal Hospital Baselland with hip diseases and injuries today senses the passion with which Prof. Dr med. Dipl.-Ing. (FH) Andrej M. Nowakowski gets to work. His innovations and inventive spirit still play an important role in artificial joints – but it is the hip joint in all its facets that is the specialist's focus.

This joint, which is the connection between the pelvis and the thighs, is crucial for us to walk upright. The very special ball joints also allow us to move our legs in all directions and turn them almost at will. So it is only logical that even the smallest complaint about the hip joint is accompanied by restrictions in mobility – and can quickly lead to possible secondary diseases.

The hip is important, which in a healthy state, in cooperation with the pelvis, ensures a fluid gait, also for other reasons: Thus, all vessels and nerves that are relevant for the legs pass in direct proximity to the hip. There are thus many arguments for consulting a doctor with all injuries to the hip and pelvis, who is already familiar with all eventualities in the diagnostic phase.

Hip specialist: Injuries, fractures, infections and tumours

With Prof. Dr med. Dr phil. Dipl.-Ing. (FH) Andrej M. Nowakowski, patients at the Cantonal Hospital Baselland have just such a contact person: He treats all injuries and fractures of the hip and pelvis at university level. He is also known for his mastery of minimally invasive surgery, which he regularly uses in arthroplasty.

Whether it is a matter of initial treatment with artificial joints or replacing a joint replacement – the clinic at the Cantonal Hospital always strives to provide the best possible care. Especially in complex exchange operations and particularly complex reconstructions, Prof. Dr med. Dr phil. Dipl.-Ing. (FH) Andrej M. Nowakowski has internationally recognised expertise.

If coxitis is present, i.e. inflammation of the hip joint, patients should react quickly – whether with or without a prosthesis. Infectious inflammations of the hip joint caused by bacteria are not only painful, but usually also associated with fever. More common, however, are acute inflammations in the joint that occur as a result of joint wear or indicate rheumatism.

The Department of Hip Surgery, Tumour and Infectious Orthopaedics in the Clinic for Orthopaedics and Traumatology of the Musculoskeletal System at the Cantonal Hospital Baselland is also the right place to go if tumours on the hip and pelvis need to be surgically removed. Especially when a carcinoma may have affected the joint, it is important to consult an experienced specialist: Prof. Dr Nowakowski has already been able to save many joints. Then he often stabilises the affected bones with artificial materials. But his expertise in inserting an artificial joint after the removal of a tumour is also very high.

So anyone dealing with injuries, fractures, infections, tumours and other diseases of the hip is welcome to contact the highly specialised specialist at the Cantonal Hospital Baselland. In these cases, it is exactly the right option – in the entire cross-border region around the university city on the Rhine. As a perfect mixture of centre and main hospital, the Cantonal Hospital Baselland at the Bruderholz site also impresses with its excellent location: Here, patients can recover after an operation in beautiful parks – and relax perfectly with an outstanding view of the city.