A change of generation at Sportklinik Freiburg

The history of Sportklinik Freiburg

When Sportklinik Freiburg was founded almost 25 years ago by Dr Lais and Dr Scheibe, it took a good deal of courage, foresight and willingness to take risks to set up a centre of this size for day-case joint surgery, a field that was then still in its infancy. How well suited today’s institution would turn out to be many years later – a practice clinic with its own operating theatres, a private ward and the option of treating patients with statutory health insurance in the neighbouring Diakoniekrankenhaus – was probably beyond anyone’s guess at the time.

Today patients in Freiburg and far beyond benefit from an excellent organisational structure as a centre for both day-case and inpatient care, and from the development over the years into a highly specialised centre with these areas of focus:

• Sports orthopaedics
• Arthroscopic surgery
• Shoulder surgery
• Joint-preserving knee surgery
• Joint replacement
• Hand and foot surgery
• Non-surgical orthopaedics

Diagnostic facilities and partnerships

Besides our own wide-ranging diagnostic facilities, the close partnership with the Diakoniekrankenhaus gives us access to the full range of radiological diagnostics, including computed tomography and high-resolution MRI. The equally close cooperation with the other departments of the Diakoniekrankenhaus, and with Reha Süd – an independent physiotherapy practice based in the same building – makes complete and joined-up treatment possible.

The change of generation

In December 2024, Dr Lais and Dr Scheibe ended their clinical work after many successful years and several thousand operations with which they helped the people of Freiburg stay active in sport and at work. The management had already been handed over in the previous year to Dr Mayer and Prof Bode, who joined Sportklinik Freiburg at the beginning of 2022; together with their fellow partner Dr Quarck and with Klaus Schumm and Dr Warncke as specialists for non-surgical treatment and hand surgery, the next generation is ready.

Awards and quality

Sportklinik Freiburg is now the only certified knee centre of the Deutsche Kniegesellschaft (German Knee Society) in South Baden, thanks to its wide range of joint-preserving and joint-replacement knee surgery at the highest level. It has also been awarded the “ausgezeichnete Klinik” seal of quality by the magazine Stern, and the magazine FOCUS names Prof Bode an “outstanding physician in knee surgery” on the strength of his expertise as a certified knee surgeon, his numerous scientific publications and his recognition as an AGA-certified arthroscopic surgeon and instructor.

New to the team: Prof Dr Matthias Feucht

To meet the growing demand that follows from this as well as possible, Prof Dr Matthias Feucht joins the team in the new year as a further renowned knee specialist.

Before joining Sportklinik Freiburg, Prof Feucht was head of reconstructive knee surgery at the Orthopädische Klinik Paulinenhilfe of the Diakonie-Klinikum in Stuttgart. He is a consultant in orthopaedics and trauma surgery and a specialist in reconstructive and joint-preserving knee surgery.

Prof Dr Feucht is likewise a certified knee surgeon of the Deutsche Kniegesellschaft (DKG) and an instructor and certified arthroscopic surgeon of the German-language society for arthroscopy and joint surgery (AGA); on the strength of this proven expertise he too appears on the FOCUS list as an “outstanding physician in knee surgery and sports orthopaedics”.

What Prof Feucht treats:

• Cruciate ligament surgery
• Reconstruction of complex multi-ligament injuries, including knee dislocations
• Revision surgery
• Meniscus surgery
• Cartilage reconstruction
• Stabilisation of the kneecap
• Realignment osteotomies and correction of the leg axis
• Reattachment of torn tendons at the knee and at the pelvis

Scientific expertise

Alongside his clinical expertise, Prof Feucht can point to a substantial body of published research. In all he has published more than 100 papers in international journals and is a co-editor of the textbook “Atlas sportorthopädisch-sporttraumatologische Operationen”. Prof Feucht speaks regularly at national and international congresses and takes part in training the surgeons of the future. He is also an active member of national and international expert committees.

Everything Sportklinik Freiburg Orthopädie offers, at a glance

• Treatment of acute and chronic sports injuries
• Treatment of joint pain (instability, osteoarthritis, malalignment)
• Joint replacement (knee, shoulder)
• Arthroscopic joint surgery (knee, shoulder, elbow, ankle)
• Trauma surgery (fractures, accidents at work)
• Sports traumatology
• Foot surgery
• Hand surgery

After this successful change of generation, the team at Sportklinik Freiburg thanks its founders Dr Lais and Dr Scheibe for the solid foundation they built, and looks forward to going on offering the people of Freiburg the best possible care in the coming years, as an independent and highly specialised centre for orthopaedics and sports orthopaedics.