[Development of rheumatoid arthritis orthopedics in German-speaking countries]

In the realization that the cause of and thus an appropriate curative systemic therapy for rheumatoid arthritis did not and does not exist, surgical treatment of this usually destructive disease emerged as a major field in orthopedics in collaboration with internists specialized in rheumatology. The establishment of working groups within the scientific society initiated by the German Association for Orthopedics and Traumatology (DGOT) in 1971 to improve efficiency was a decisive factor for the further development in the German-speaking countries. A significant role was played by the fact that the Swiss N. Gschwend from Zurich was entrusted with the formation of the working group. This ensured that other German-speaking colleagues in Austria as well as Scandinavia also had the opportunity to add their input and influence rheumatoid orthopedics to a large extent. The DGOT also supported the creation of the ARO, which was founded as an independent association within the DGOT in 1992. The growth of rheumatoid orthopedics received considerable impetus from the fact that it was recognized in 1981 as the only subspecialty of orthopedics granted equal footing, as was the case for rheumatology in internal medicine. At the start of the 1970s, interest was focused on synovectomy for joint preservation, also with regard to its techniques and the possibility for preventive indications. Influenced by the experience gained from the development of endoprosthetic replacements, arthrodeses for rheumatic patients, e.g., in the region of the shoulder and knee joints, were almost completely ignored. The special field of reconstructive surgery on the hand and wrist employing implantation of finger joints and limited arthrodeses yielded impressive subjective and partially functional improvement for the patients. New impulses in the surgical treatment of foot deformities with joint-saving techniques for toe joints and endoprosthetic reconstruction of the ankle have brought about new trends in rheumatoid orthopedics in the past 10 years. Operative stabilization of cervical instabilities represents a special aspect in the development of rheumatoid orthopedics. Both the differential indication and the surgical technique have changed. The development of magnet resonance tomography and new implants for the cervical spine has played a significant role. Rheumatoid arthritis surgery has shown preference to integrating physical measures including in particular ergotherapy and special hand therapy into local surgical interventions. Functional treatment measures, care of braces and aids, and training in joint protection have become a firm part of the therapeutic concept. It is significant that in the German-speaking countries a treatment plan focused solely on the joints has thus far not gained general acceptance as is the case in Anglo-American countries. Preference is given to working as a team with subspecialties for upper and lower extremities and the spinal column. This guarantees that the priorities of the patients who usually present with multiple joint alterations can be dealt with by one group.