Department of Musculoskeletal and Sports Medicine

Department of Musculoskeletal and Sports Medicine of University Hospital AGEL Košice– Šaca and the Faculty of Medicine, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice is a modern orthopaedic and traumatology workplace with a long-standing tradition. The first orthopaedic department in Košice–Šaca was established in 1971 as part of the newly opened hospital providing mainly curative and preventive care for employees of VSŽ Košice, later USS Košice. Over the years, the department gradually developed into one of the leading orthopaedic centres in the Slovak Republic, providing healthcare to patients from all over Slovakia as well as from abroad.

Annually, we perform more than 4,000 surgical procedures in two modern operating theatres, and more than 50,000 patients are treated in our four outpatient clinics. The clinic is staffed  by an experienced team of physicians and nurses, equipped with modern operating theatres and high-quality medical technology. The medical team consists of 15 physicians, several of whom are among the leading experts in orthopaedics in their respective fields. Department provides comprehensive care for orthopaedic and traumatology patients and performs complete diagnostics in orthopaedics, traumatology, and sports medicine. An integral part of the clinic is a modern diagnostic centre for athletes, where more than 500 preventive examinations of professional and recreational athletes are performed annually.

In 2017, Department of Musculoskeletal and Sports Medicine was established within the orthopaedic department as part of the Faculty of Medicine, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University. Through this collaboration, we are able to pass on our knowledge and experience to medical students to an even greater extent and, through seminars and training courses, also to physicians in postgraduate education. The clinic provides teaching in the subjects Orthopaedics, Arthroscopy and Sports Medicine, and Orthopaedics and Traumatology of the Foot and Ankle.

In 2017, Department of Musculoskeletal and Sports Medicine, together with the entire Košice–Šaca Hospital, became part of the network of FIFA Medical Centres of Excellence (FMCE). The main accreditation criteria for FMCE include the exceptional quality of the workplace, long-term experience in the care of professional athletes, comprehensiveness of provided services, preventive medicine, science and research in sports medicine, as well as educational and publishing activities.

The FIFA Medical Centre of Excellence at AGEL Košice–Šaca Hospital and the Faculty of Medicine, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University, has in recent years provided medical care to players of several Slovak national teams in football, ice hockey, handball, and basketball, as well as to professional sports clubs from the entire region (long-term cooperation with HC Košice, FK Košice, Good Angels / Young Angels Košice, HK Košice, and other clubs).

In the last years, the centre’s physicians provided medical coverage for the UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship held in Slovakia in 2022, where the Slovak national team achieved an excellent 5th place, and for the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Argentina in 2023, where the Slovak U20 national team advanced to the round of sixteen. The services of this centre are also used by amateur and recreational athletes from all over Slovakia.

An advantage of the clinic is the comprehensive range of services ensured by a multidisciplinary team of specialists in orthopaedics, traumatology, surgery, rehabilitation, cardiology, internal medicine, and sports medicine, supported by high-quality diagnostics using modern medical equipment.

Department focus on surgical treatment of the musculoskeletal system. The main areas of our expertise include arthroscopy and sports medicine, joint replacement surgery, and orthopaedics and traumatology of the hand and foot.

Joint Replacement Surgery

For more than 25 years, we have been dedicated to hip and knee joint replacements. In addition to these procedures, we also perform shoulder, elbow, and ankle joint replacements, as well as replacements of small joints of the hand and foot. As one of the few centres in Slovakia, we perform replacements of all joints, using the most advanced implants available. We also perform revision surgeries of shoulder, hip, knee, and ankle joint replacements.

The strengths of our clinic include meticulous preoperative preparation, comprehensive intraoperative and postoperative care, and the possibility of inpatient rehabilitation treatment at the Department of Rehabilitation directly within our healthcare facility. Hospitalisation time is short.

Arthroscopy and Sports Medicine

As in joint replacement surgery, we are one of the few centres performing arthroscopy of all joints (shoulder, elbow, wrist, small joints of the hand, hip, knee, ankle, and foot), addressing injuries, congenital deformities, post-traumatic conditions, and reconstructive procedures. We are the only workplace in Slovakia performing meniscus transplantations.

We apply modern techniques in the treatment of cartilage and ligament injuries, management of joint instability, and correction of axial deformities of the limbs. We perform all types of revision and reconstructive procedures.

Orthopaedics and Traumatology of the Elbow and Hand

In the field of elbow surgery, we perform a full spectrum of procedures, including operative treatment of fractures, tendon injuries, arthroscopic procedures (arthroscopic treatment of tennis elbow, synovectomy, removal of loose bodies, debridement of the elbow in osteoarthritis), open elbow release, replacement of the radial head (endoprosthesis), and total elbow joint replacement.

In the area of the hand and wrist, we perform surgeries for carpal tunnel syndrome, cubital tunnel syndrome, and Guyon’s canal syndrome, trigger finger release, Dupuytren’s contracture, fractures of fingers and metacarpal bones, and treatment of tendon injuries of the hand and wrist.

We also perform removal of small tumours of the hand, finger joint replacements, joint replacement of the thumb carpometacarpal joint, wrist replacement and arthrodesis, limited wrist fusion, wrist arthroscopy, arthroscopic treatment of ligament injuries of the wrist, and osteosynthesis of wrist and carpal bone fractures.

Orthopaedics and Traumatology of the Foot and Ankle

The Clinic of Musculoskeletal and Sports Medicine is a reference centre in Slovakia for reconstructive foot and ankle surgery. We perform the full spectrum of foot and ankle orthopaedics, including:

• Correction of forefoot deformities (hallux valgus, hammer toes, metatarsalgia), both open and minimally invasive
• Ankle joint replacement and revision surgery after ankle arthroplasty
• Arthrodesis procedures of the foot and ankle
• Corrective osteotomies of the foot and ankle
• Management of complex congenital deformities
• Surgery for neurological deformities (Charcot–Marie–Tooth disease, spinal dysraphism, deformities associated with cerebral palsy)
• Post-traumatic reconstructions
• Flatfoot in adolescents and adults
• Deformities associated with diabetic foot
• Sports medicine of the foot and ankle – ankle arthroscopy, treatment of osteochondral lesions of the talus, and ankle instability
• Acute foot and ankle trauma, including complex injuries of the tibial pilon, talus, calcaneus, and midfoot

As part of cooperation with American institutions, physicians from the USA regularly attend several-week training fellowships at our clinic.

Sports Medicine and Functional Diagnostics of Athletes

 At our workplace, we perform diagnostics of health and functional parameters using exercise testing on cycle ergometers and treadmills. We assess the ability to participate in physical activity, health-oriented training, sports training, and competitions based on health status and objective functional examination results.

Using breath gas analysis (spiroergometry), we evaluate aerobic capacity, metabolic flexibility, determine training zones, and diagnose performance limitations, with recommendations for appropriate training intensity to achieve set goals. We also perform spiroergometric testing using an air resistance bike (AirBike), which, due to the involvement of the upper body, is suitable for evaluating aerobic capacity in combat sports (wrestling, MMA) and ice hockey.

A recent innovation is assessment using the OptoGait system, which analyses movement with a focus on gait, running (performed on a treadmill), and jumping ability. In combination with integrated video recording, it enables continuous monitoring with emphasis on ground contact time, flight phase during running, power in the propulsion phase, jump height, speed, and acceleration during take-off, with a focus on limb asymmetry.

We also perform genetic analysis of the ACTN3 R577X polymorphism from blood samples, where each variant predisposes an athlete to endurance or speed-oriented sports. In addition, we provide toxicological analysis of urine samples to exclude the presence of prohibited substances in athletes.

Department of Musculoskeletal and Sports Medicine has long-standing cooperation with several prominent Slovak, Czech, and international institutions and participates in multiple international scientific projects.