Professor Clayton Kraft - orthopedics at Helios Krefeld Clinic

Professor Clayton Kraft – a leading specialist in the field of traumatology, orthopedics, and joint replacement, is the head physician of the Department of Traumatology, Orthopedics, and Hand Surgery at Helios Krefeld Clinic and the director of orthopedic departments within the Helios clinic network. Professor Kraft has over 23 years of clinical experience in treating and performing surgeries on the musculoskeletal system. His primary specialization is partial and total knee replacement.

Education and Career:

• 1990 – 1996 – Medical School at Heinrich Heine University, Düsseldorf.
• 1996 – Defended his doctoral thesis in surgery with honors ("cum laude").
• 1997 – 1998 – Assistant physician in the trauma clinic at Bonn University Hospital.
• 1998 – 2003 – Researcher at the orthopedic clinic of Bonn University Hospital.
• 2004 – 2005 – Senior physician at the Orthopedic Department of Bonn University Hospital.
• 2004 – Received the title of professor in orthopedics.
• 2005 – 2007 – Deputy director of the orthopedic clinic at Bonn University Hospital.
• 2007 – 2015 – Director of the Department of Traumatology, Orthopedics, and Hand Surgery at Helios Krefeld Clinic.
• Since 2015 – Director of Traumatology and Orthopedics at the Helios clinic network.

Major Achievements:

• Author of over 108 scientific publications, with 54 works published in leading international journals.
• Regular participant in international conferences, seminars, and workshops in the USA, France, Switzerland, and Austria, where he shares his expertise and adopts innovative practices in orthopedics.

Key Areas of Scientific Activity:

• Research on arthritis treatment, joint replacement, minimally invasive surgical techniques, and joint deformity correction.
• Key Publications:
• "Evaluation of Articular Cartilage Lesions of the Knee with a 3-Tesla Magnet".
• "Therapy of Isolated Arthritis in the Patellofemoral Joint".
• "Flexion Contracture in Hemophilic Knee Arthropathy – 10-Year Follow-Up After Hamstring Release and Dorsal Capsulotomy".

Membership in Professional Organizations:

• German Society for Orthopedics and Trauma (DGOU).
• German Society for Spine Surgery (DGW).
• International Society for Minimal Intervention in Spinal Surgery (ISMISS).
• German Osteology Society.
• Endoprosthetics Work Group (AE).
• Osteosynthesis Work Group.

Key Areas of Clinical Practice:

• Joint replacement using 3D modeling.
• Treatment of complex fractures.
• Minimally invasive spine and joint surgery.
• Modern physiotherapy and patient rehabilitation.

Professor Kraft actively works on implementing innovative technologies in the treatment of the musculoskeletal system, ensuring high-quality care and long-term results for his patients.