Persian-speaking Orthopedists

A bone, joint or spine problem in Germany almost never ends in a single visit. The usual route runs: examination, imaging, a course of non-surgical treatment, and an appliance if one is needed. Surgery, where it comes at all, sits at the end of that route rather than the start, and someone who does not know the shape of it tends to give up halfway.

In an emergency, or if there is a risk to life, call 112. Outside practice hours the medical on-call service answers on 116 117 and can also help you find an appointment. This page is only a directory and is not an emergency service.

What the Verified badge does and does not say

Verified says one thing only: a real person stands behind this profile and manages it themselves. YabInfy does not check anyone's certificates, licences, experience or competence, and the badge is not for sale. In this field the specialist title is awarded and held by the state medical chamber (Landesärztekammer), so this is one you can see in writing.

Which door, which specialty

Choosing the right door is half the work. In Germany, orthopaedics and trauma surgery have been a single specialty since 2005, so the difference is where the person works: an outpatient practice spends most of its time on non-surgical treatment, and an operation, if one becomes necessary, happens in a hospital. For a question that is surgical from the outset, Surgeons and Neurosurgeons have their own lists.

Inflammatory joint disease takes a different route: it is treated under internal medicine and followed by a rheumatologist. That specialty is not listed separately in the site's filters, so ask your family doctor for the referral. A physiotherapist is not a doctor either: they do not diagnose and do not prescribe, and they work from a doctor's prescription (Allied health). Orthopaedics has no sub-categories in the Specialty filter above the results, so you have to ask each practice where its focus lies, whether that is the spine, feet, shoulders, children or sports medicine.

Non-surgical first, surgical afterwards

The working principle here is non-surgical before surgical, and "non-surgical" means a defined set of things: physiotherapy and exercise therapy, manual therapy, physical treatments, local injections, appliances, and pain management. These leave a paper trail, and that paper matters later. For a fair number of planned operations the insurer wants to see that non-surgical treatment was actually carried out and documented over a meaningful period, and it decides for which operations and for how long. So ask for the written report (Befund) after each visit.

The physiotherapy prescription, and the deadline printed on it

The doctor writes a prescription for remedial treatment (Heilmittelverordnung) that sets the type of treatment and the number of sessions. You choose the physiotherapy practice yourself, not the doctor; the only condition is that it holds a contract with the statutory insurers.

There is a deadline on that prescription, and this is where most people waste one. Under the remedial treatment directive the treatment has to begin within 28 calendar days of the date of issue, and a prescription marked urgent has a shorter window. Once the deadline passes you need a new appointment with the doctor, so start telephoning practices on the day the paper is in your hand. Your own share is usually 10 per cent of the cost plus 10 euros per prescription, and under-eighteens are exempt. Because the rules get revised, ask your own insurer for today's figure.

Insoles, braces and crutches

Orthopaedic insoles, braces and bandages, and crutches and walking frames are prescribed separately, and for some of them the insurer has to agree before they are handed over. An adult's statutory share is usually 10 per cent of the price, at least five and at most 10 euros per item. The expensive part is elsewhere: insurers hold contracts with medical supply shops and orthopaedic shoemakers, and if you go somewhere without a contract, or take a model above what the insurer covers, you pay the difference yourself. So before you order, ask in writing which part is the statutory share and which part is an optional upgrade.

Imaging, and the images you already have

Many orthopaedic practices do x-ray and ultrasound themselves and review the result the same day. MRI is a different matter: machines are limited and each one has a fixed number of slots a day, so in many cities the appointment falls weeks out, and statutory patients wait longer. Ask the doctor to write the body region and the clinical question precisely on the referral, because a vague referral leads to phone calls and delay, and book the follow-up appointment at the same time so the scan does not sit unread. The image itself is not the answer: your treating doctor works from the written report of a Radiologist.

Medical images belong to you and the centre is obliged to make a copy available. Ask for both together, the images and the written report. If you have brought a disc from another country, ask before the appointment whether the practice's system can read it, and if you have been operated on somewhere, the operation report with its date is the single most important paper you can carry in with you.

What the insurer does not pay for, and what gets offered in the room

In this field more than most you will be offered a service the insurer does not pay for. The rules favour you: before anything starts you have to confirm in writing that you want the service at your own expense, the amount has to be estimated in writing on the official medical fee scale, and you have to be given the chance to think about it. Ask why it is not covered in your situation, because one treatment can be paid for in one set of circumstances and not in another. Saying "I need to think about it" takes nothing away from the treatment the insurer does cover.

Injuries at work, on the way to work, and in sport

If the injury happened at work, on the journey to or from work, or at school or university, your case leaves ordinary health insurance and goes to the statutory accident insurance. On that route you have to be seen by a doctor licensed by the accident insurer (a Durchgangsarzt, or D-Arzt), and the first doctor who sees you is obliged to send you on to one. Not every practice holds that licence, so ask when you book. The practical upshot is one sentence: say in your first call how and where the injury happened, because the incapacity certificate and any compensation follow that route. A sports injury at the gym usually does not go this way.

A second opinion before a planned operation

For a defined set of planned operations, a statutory patient in Germany has a legal right to an independent second opinion, and the insurer pays for it. The doctor proposing the operation is obliged to tell you about that right in good time before the date, and to make your records and images available. Not every doctor may give a second opinion either; they have to be authorised for that specific operation. The list of operations is set by the Federal Joint Committee and does change, so ask your own insurer before deciding whether the proposed operation is on it. A second opinion does not mean leaving your first doctor, and whether the operation is right is a decision between you and your doctor.

What to ask when you call the practice

• Whether the practice does x-ray and ultrasound itself or sends you elsewhere for every image.
• Whether anyone there holds the accident insurer's licence.
• Whether they run the non-surgical treatment themselves or only refer, and whether they write the physiotherapy prescription.
• Which imaging centres they work with, and whether the report comes back to the practice on its own.
• For a service the insurer does not pay for, whether the written cost estimate comes before anything starts.
• Which body region they focus on, since this list does not break orthopaedics into sub-categories.
• YabInfy checks none of this, so ask for it yourself, and ask to see the document where it matters.

Choosing from this list

Reviews in this field answer questions a patient can judge for themselves: whether the treatment plan was explained in a way that made sense, and whether the prescription and the imaging appointment moved along without them having to chase it constantly. They are not a verdict on surgical skill and they do not tell you the operation proposed was the right one. The contact route on each profile sits behind the "Show contact details" button and reaches the practice itself.

Being seen on a list like this is a fair worry, so here are both halves. YabInfy nowhere keeps or shows who opened a profile, who revealed a contact route, or who sent a contact request. Against that, the review you write is public, published under the name you choose yourself.

If you are not sure you are standing in the right specialty, start at General practitioners or browse all of Doctors. How this site works is explained in the FAQ, and if you run an orthopaedic practice, add your business.