For patients focusing on being active

Following a knee injury during a skiing holiday, orthopedist Dr. Jochen Staubach tested the SecuTec Genu Flex himself and trained with it. Ten weeks later, he ran the Vienna marathon, taking merely one hour longer than usual. 14 days later, an American football player visited his practice in Freiberg with a torn cruciate ligament. He wanted to play again as soon as possible. In his interview with life, the physician from German Freiberg told us why he believes that the brace is particularly suitable for patients with sporting ambitions.

You injured your knee skiing in February. What happened?

Dr. Staubach: It was our second day on the slopes. My daughter was in front of me and she suddenly came to a complete halt. I attempted an evasive maneuver but the surface was covered in ice. My nosedive was eventually stopped by the boot of a giant weighing 120 kg. My right foot stopped and the right knee bore the full brunt of the “energy”. The bones all seemed to be fine, which was later confirmed by an X-ray. I was able to stand up straight and bend as well as extend my knee more or less. But the pain was widespread, my knee was swollen, and I felt very unstable. This indicated a ligament injury to me. I then remembered that I wanted to take part in the Vienna marathon in April, and the one in Chicago in October. Withdrawing was not an option because my wife and I had been waiting a long time for our opportunity to enter.

From physician to patient – what was your treatment like?

Dr. Staubach: My problem was instability. I couldn’t even climb stairs or subject my knee to any strain.Luckily, the contusion had disappeared after a few days and the pain was bearable. I decided on conservative treatment, which is what I recommend to my patients of a similar age who suffer from ligament injuries if it looks like they can work on that during intensive rehab. A week after my accident, an orthotist fitted the SecuTec Genu Flex. I was immediately able to walk almost as usual and I felt stable. When I work at my practice, I’m on my feet practically all day. Thanks to the brace, that wasn’t a problem. It’s very lightweight and fits under my pants so nobody even notices. I didn’t suffer from pressure points, and my knee was never swollen at the end of the day. So I put it on in the morning and took it off at night. Two weeks after my injury, I started training for the marathon, with some adjustments to my training plan.

“I put the brace on in the morning and took it off at night. Two weeks after my injury, I started training again.”

Dr. Jochen Staubach

How did you get your knee back in shape for Vienna?

Dr. Staubach: For the impending start date at the beginning of April, I maintained my weekly training sessions but switched to brisk walking. After about four weeks, I gradually increased the running distance until I was able to run a half-marathon. I did all this with the proviso that I didn’t feel pain, the knee wasn’t swollen, and I was always wearing the brace. I couldn’t get an appointment for physiotherapy straight away so I used an app for strengthening knee exercises, a DiGA* that I also prescribe to my patients who want to focus on a goal and actively accelerate their recovery. My active focus was the marathon. Wearing the SecuTec Genu Flex, I managed it in 4 hours 47. It usually takes me less than four hours but I was happy and I only had blisters on my feet at the end.

*Digital health applications (DiGA) can be prescribed in Germany after assessment by the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM). The cost is borne by the statutory health insurance provider.

And now?

Dr. Staubach:  Since the Vienna marathon, I haven’t needed the brace. I’m training for Chicago without external stabilization. Before that, about eight weeks after the injury, I started to merely wear it for half the day at work, eventually only during my running sessions, just in case.

“My big goal is to complete the six World Marathon Majors.”

Dr. Jochen Staubach

After this personal experience, you also prescribed the SecuTec Genu Flex to American football player Ralf Boeck from the Freiberg Phantoms. How did this come about?

Dr. Staubach: I have been supporting the team for two years now. Ralf Boeck had an accident during training and visited us with a swollen knee. He was barely able to walk. He tore his anterior cruciate ligament on the pitch. I had to puncture his knee several times and immediately prescribed the SecuTec Genu Flex. After a week and a half, he was almost pain-free and he asked when he could restart his work as a programmer. His ambition was to take part in a game two months after the accident. So, together with the physical therapists, we created a training plan and I also prescribed a DiGA. Without his exceptional will power and compliance with his treatment, Ralf Boeck would have never made such progress – a truly exemplary patient.

Were you able to approve his participation in the match?

Dr. Staubach: It was a joint decision. Mr. Boeck developed strength quickly, he felt stable when wearing the flexible brace, he was able to run with it, and he returned to training after just a few weeks. So there was no reason for him not to play whilst wearing a hard-frame brace. The German Football League (GFL) allows this for certain positions. But without previously testing the brace myself, without his discipline, and the approval from the association, we wouldn’t have done it. The GFL’s prerequisite was, by the way, that the brace must be covered by clothing.

Presumably you don’t just help professional athletes. Who comes to your practice and when are medical aids an option for knee treatment?

Dr. Staubach: The majority of my knee patients suffers from degenerative changes, meaning osteoarthritis of all types. I always try to treat conservatively for as long as possible. Joint replacement should be the last resort. Compression with textile supports for more activity is usually enough for my older patients, provided that they’ve still got some good muscles and they want to stay active. To younger patients, I also recommend relieving hard-frame braces to change the leg axis and counteract postures to help relieve pain. I prefer to immediately treat patients suffering from acute knee trauma with a stabilizing brace until the diagnostic process has been completed so they can “keep going”.

Who is the SecuTec Genu Flex particularly suitable for?

Dr. Staubach: I feel that the brace makes sense for patients with sporting ambitions because it helps them stay active. Thanks to its flexible modules, it’s not so rigid in the areas of the thigh as well as lower leg, and its shape can be adapted. This helps stabilize patients until the end of their treatment and they only need one medical aid until they can fully focus on their goal again.

And your focus? What do your sporting plans look like for the future?

Dr. Staubach: My big goal is to complete the six World Marathon Majors. After Berlin, New York, London, and Chicago, I only need Boston and Tokyo.

Good luck with that!

Dr. Staubach’s patient Ralf Boeck, defensive end for the Freiberg Phantoms, focused a goal as well. He wanted to play for his team as soon as possible after his cruciate ligament injury. Find out what motivated him and how he was able to get back on the field two months later.

“My best birthday present was being approved to play in the match”

You tore your anterior cruciate ligament during training – how did that happen?

Ralf Boeck: When I tried to stop my opponent from advancing, my foot got stuck in the pitch, and I twisted my knee. After the initial pain, my movement kept getting more and more restricted, and my knee started to swell. Three days later, I went to see Dr. Staubach, our team physician, who sent me to a medical supply retailer with a prescription for a stabilizing knee brace even before getting my MRI. I had the SecuTec Genu Flex fitted right there and then.

What did your treatment entail and how did you stay motivated?

Ralf Boeck: I really wanted to take part in our next match eight weeks later. We don’t have many matches during the season and hardly any substitutes. So I started with daily movement exercises one week after my accident. Always for half an hour. First, I used an app that Dr. Staubach had prescribed, then physiotherapy as well. I slowly got back into training and quickly made progress. The brace provided me with 100 percent stability and confidence the whole time. Initially, I wore it for the entire day, sometimes even at night to protect my knee from twisting. One day before my 40th birthday, Dr. Staubach approved me to play – that was my best birthday present!

Three months have gone by since you tore your ligament. How are you now?

Ralf Boeck: I’m continuing with my rehab exercises because I can’t bend my knee fully yet, but it’s getting better every week. I’m still careful when I’m side-stepping and tackling someone but I feel confident and I can control it during the match. During exercise, I still wear the SecuTec Genu Flex, on vacations, too, when I’m climbing. It really cooperates and adapts when I tense my muscles and move. I even recommended it to an injured team mate who wasn’t so happy with his rigid brace.

How did your first match after your injury go?

Ralf Boeck: We won and we’re still undefeated. And we want it to stay that way.

The SecuTec Genu Flex used in knee treatment
The SecuTec Genu Flex stabilizes the knee joint according to the four-point principle. Its lightweight plastic frame consists of unique mobile Flex-Links that adapt to the thigh and lower leg. Find out more.

Pictures: Bauerfeind AG, Thomas Lebie