Dr. med. Björn Drews

When a specialist in orthopaedics and trauma surgery specialises in a single joint with full passion and great commitment, this is good news for all patients in the wide surrounding area. Dr med. Björn Drews proves at the St. Vinzenz Klinik Pfronten that he has retained a fascinating versatility, even as a highly specialised expert. Because especially when it comes to the knee, it’s clear: a doctor who is familiar with all facets of this extremely complex joint is the perfect contact person for pain, diseases and injuries. Dr Drews also has a great deal of experience in sports traumatology.

The activities with which Dr med. Björn Drews makes a name for himself on the subject of the knee are just as multifaceted as the joint itself: The head of knee surgery and sports orthopaedics in Pfronten surprises the professional world with book contributions on the subject of "Knee and Dance Sports" in publications of the European Sports Orthopaedic Society (ESSKA). He sits as a permanent member of the "Knee Ligament" committee of the German-speaking Society for Arthroscopy and Joint Surgery, is editor of the journal "Sports Orthopedics and Traumatology" – and he has also been the sports doctor for major sporting events such as a Judo World Cup and for a football team.

Meniscus injuries, cartilage damage, anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments, cruciate ligament revision, collateral ligaments, dislocated kneecaps, anterior knee pain, leg axis malalignment and fractures close to the joint: Dr med. Björn Drews has devoted himself almost entirely to the knee joint and has thus acquired a high reputation in all these areas. Because even though he is always publishing research results, lecturing at congresses, organising symposia or getting involved in his discipline in other ways, his primary focus is his patients at the St. Vinzenz health facilities in Pfronten.

Experienced knee and sports doctor

This is where the experienced knee and sports doctor has a great responsibility for the entire surrounding area: because the St. Vinzenz Klinik offers people in the region an outstanding contact point when it comes to their health. Today, this hospital, which has a tradition dating back many years, offers an impressive level of basic medical care for all patients and at the same time there is also room for highly specialised medicine, which carries the reputation of the Pfronten institution far beyond the borders of the Allgäu. The technical equipment includes three large operating theatres and state-of-the-art radiological diagnostics with MRI, CT and digital X-ray, showing that this is a facility that moves with the times.

Traditionally, the St. Vinzenz Klinik specialises in three fields: internal medicine, surgery – and orthopaedic surgery. In a well-known skiing and mountain sports area that attracts many people every year with numerous ski lifts, ski slopes and even a snowboard fun park in winter and hiking trails and mountain bike trails in summer, orthopaedics must offer top-level medical services. No wonder, then, that the hospital management chose a renowned specialist, especially when appointing the head of knee surgery and sports orthopaedics. And Dr Drews not only leads his department with great expertise and empathy, he has also taken on the function of Deputy Head of the Central Interdisciplinary Emergency Department.

In addition to the actual treatment of an injury, prevention as well as optimal follow-up treatment until the return to sport after an operation is also a matter close to Dr Drews' heart. In the hospital's own sports medicine institute "Sporthomed", he carries out running, jumping and golf swing analyses as well as functional tests before the patients return to sport. Both professional and amateur athletes meet here to improve their performance.

Traumatology according to international standards

The numerous additional qualifications with which Dr med. Björn Drews has extended and refined his expertise over time speaks for itself. He is a trained ATLS provider – and thus able to treat trauma in the emergency room according to international standards, which has great advantages especially after accidents or sports injuries. This high level qualification according to the worldwide training concept (Advanced Trauma Life Support) gives patients the security that Dr Drews always acts correctly in shock room care. Of course, this knowledge is also helpful to him when dealing with skiing accidents that are non life-threatening, for example.

Other additional qualifications that Dr Drews possesses mostly revolve around the knee again as his favoured joint. For example, he was certified by the Society for Arthroscopy and Joint Surgery as an instructor for arthroscopy, he holds certification for cartilage cell transplantation, which makes him a proven expert in cases of damage to the articular cartilage – and he is, of course, certified by the German Knee Society as a knee surgeon. Dr Drews also has additional qualifications in special trauma surgery, sports medicine and specialised X-ray diagnostics. He is also active in the training of young medical professionals: at the University of Ulm he teaches, among other things, the elective subject of sports traumatology and as head of the "Young Knee" committee of the German Knee Society he is involved in the further training of young knee surgeons.

The St. Vinzenz Klinik Pfronten has been certified as an official knee centre of the German Knee Society (DKG) since 2020 – the first in the Allgäu region.

In the middle of the ski region: ideal location

Anyone who has a knee injury or disease who lives in or around the 13-village community of Pfronten, right on the border with Tyrol, is welcome to contact the St. Vinzenz Klinik. The fact that Dr med. Björn Drews, as a specialist in orthopaedics and trauma surgery, also has plenty of experience in other areas of joint surgery, is obvious from his varied activities. For example, he is also exactly the right doctor for fractures close to the knee joint, for injuries or cartilage damage to the ankle joint and for diseases of the heel bone such as a heel spur.