Prof. Dr. Peter Schräder

As chief physician and medical director of the Orthopaedics and Traumatology Clinic at the Kreisklinik Jugenheim, Professor Peter Schräder is responsible for everything the clinic offers. His expertise is not limited to classical musculoskeletal treatments in adults and children; as an experienced specialist, Professor Schräder specialises not only in orthopaedics of the knee and hip, including endoprostheses, but also in joint cartilage surgery and rheumatology. His expertise in paediatric orthopaedics is also sought after far beyond the Darmstadt region.

Seeheim-Jugenheim, located in the idyllic district of Darmstadt-Dieburg, allows residents and visitors to get close to nature and enjoy an excellent quality of life. There are many leisure and cultural attractions on offer here, between Frankfurt and the conurbations around Heidelberg and Mannheim, with the traditional open-air theatre being a particular highlight. Jugenheim first appeared on the medical map in 2013 – when Professor Peter Schräder became Chief Physician of Orthopaedics and Traumatology at the Darmstadt-Dieburg district clinics. Today, as Medical Director of the clinic group, he has an outstanding reputation throughout the district in all his specialties.

The newly established Clinic for Orthopaedics and Traumatology in Jugenheim in particular has attracted a lot of attention. This state-of-the-art clinic specialises in every kind of operation on the musculoskeletal system and offers a specially developed graduated concept that considers each patient's individual situation and needs down to the last detail.

The primary objective: regaining mobility

With the expertise of Professor Schräder and the specialists and therapists who work with him, all orthopaedic treatment is individually tailored to the patient's needs after a detailed consultation and a precise diagnosis. The Clinic Director in Jugenheim believes it is incredibly important that everyone involved in treating musculoskeletal injuries and disorders demonstrates a high level of competence and dedication. After all, the primary objective is always to provide patients with the very best care.

This ensures that every clinical presentation is treated in the optimum way. Be it conservative or surgical – the selected treatment method should enable the patient to regain mobility as fully and as quickly as possible.

Like all highly specialised clinicians, Professor Schräder values interdisciplinary cooperation in the clinic’s practice. As many acute musculoskeletal injuries also affect other organ areas, it is extremely important to be able to communicate quickly and easily with other clinics in the network. Whatever the case, whether it requires specialists in general surgery, internal medicine, neurosurgery or radiology, the focus is always on differentiated and holistic care.

Professor Schräder's aim is to avoid surgery wherever possible. Drawing on all his experience, he is often able to use non-surgical orthopaedic methods to treat pain, poor posture, pain and mobility restrictions with an individual treatment plan without surgery. The most important thing here is the targeted analysis that Professor Schräder carries out with his team – which is both individual and also holistic.

Area of expertise: rheumatology

Severe joint inflammation, such as rheumatism and arthritis, can often be treated without surgery. However, as several joints are often affected at the same time and the joints can suffer long-term damage as a result of recurring inflammatory processes, surgery may sometimes be necessary. However, Professor Schräder only advises surgery if other treatments such as physiotherapy, physiotherapies or pain therapy have been ineffective. He also has a lot of experience with targeted injections.

If an operation is required, Professor Schräder’s top priority is always preserving the joint. His area of expertise includes corrections to the leg axis to protect specific joint areas from overloading. Operations on damaged cartilage are also performed at the clinic – including, for example, the implantation of endogenous cartilage. Many operations, such as refixing a torn part of the meniscus, are performed in Jugenheim using minimally invasive techniques – in other words, arthroscopically.

Artificial joints: extensive experience in endoprostheses

As every treatment plan in Seeheim-Jugenheim is discussed individually with the patient, the Clinic for Orthopaedics and Traumatology in Jugenheim enjoys a remarkable success rate in implanting artificial joints. The team headed by Professor Peter Schräder performs around eight hundred initial operations per year, using only high-quality implants that have been proven in practice for many years.

After all, the only way that life with a new joint can really be a fresh start is if every detail, from the initial planning to the follow-up treatment, is right, if all the patient's individual circumstances are taken into account and if all surgical approaches are as gentle on the tissue as possible. So it’s no surprise that photos keep arriving in Jugenheim from all over the world showing active, happy patients. By the way, in addition to the eight hundred new joints, over fifty replacement operations have also been performed, which require a high level of expertise.

University standard: well connected

With his international network and knowledge of quality assurance, Professor Schräder is always abreast of the latest innovations – including in artificial knee joints. It is no great surprise therefore, that the Clinic for Orthopaedics and Traumatology in Jugenheim was one of the first clinics in the world to use a new navigation technique to insert the individual components at the optimum angle to the load axis of the leg. This has been proven to improve the function and significantly increase the lifespan of the prostheses. The infection rate in Jugenheim is also extremely low by international standards at just 0.2 per cent, partly due to this innovation. It is therefore not surprising that the clinic always achieves above-average results in quality audits.

Professor Schräder's team also has extensive experience with artificial shoulder joints. Patients with wear-related diseases such as calcified shoulder or arthrosis of the acromioclavicular joint will find exactly what they are looking for in this small Hessian town. When it comes to a collarbone fracture or a fracture of the head of the humerus, again, the focus is on preserving the shoulder joint. However, if an implant is required, Jugenheim offers modern implants for treatment of the highest international standard. And they carry out treatment in such a way that patients will be able to get moving again as quickly as possible.

Utmost empathy: paediatric orthopaedics at university level

When it comes to treating deformities, joint diseases and injuries of the musculoskeletal system in children and adolescents, specialists require more than just special expertise – they also need a great deal of empathy. Professor Peter Schräder always builds trust with his young patients which aids diagnosis and helps ensure the right treatment is selected. For children who suffer from a handicap or additional neurological diseases, individual treatment is particularly important. It also aids to be selected – always in close consultation with the parents – for the children that allow them to live as pain-free a life as possible, both at home and at school. Professor Schräder and his team will always find the optimum treatment for hip joint disorders during growth, deformities of the foot or problems with the knee joint. For children – and adults.