Balgrist Orthopedic Emergency Clinic
Balgrist University Hospital offers specialist orthopedic expertise for the initial assessment and emergency treatment.
Registering an emergency
We kindly ask patients or referring doctors to register an emergency with the clinic by calling +41 44 386 51 51. Patients should please report to reception when they arrive.
- If the situation is not medically urgent, we offer appointments during our regular orthopedic consultation hours.
- For diagnoses that do not relate to the locomotor system (e.g. a stroke or heart attack) we will forward your registration to an emergency hospital.
- We also refer children under the age of 16 to the University Children’s Hospital Zurich.
Accident, inflammation or deterioration
Fractures, muscle injuries or joint diseases are not life-threatening emergencies, but people affected by them often cannot wait for a regular consultation appointment. The quicker a diagnosis is made and the more expertly treatment is initiated, the better the chances of recovery. The after-effects of seemingly trivial injuries can therefore be prevented.
University expertise
The emergency clinic at Balgrist University Hospital offers a fast and ideal initial assessment and treatment. The specialist emergency clinic with five treatment rooms is open around the clock. Patients can admit themselves or are referred by their general practitioner. The emergency clinic also accepts patients who are transferred from other hospitals. The orthopedic teams are specialized in the spine, foot, knee, hip, hand, shoulder, tumors, sport or children. The teams are available on call and can operate quickly in emergency situations.
Orthopedic emergency clinic
- Specialist contact point for injuries and acute problems and pain in the locomotor system and joints
- Experts for sports injuries and other injuries and problems of the locomotor system
- Fast initial orthopedic treatment without having to wait a long time for a consultation appointment
- Uncomplicated access to first-class orthopedic specialists
Treatment spectrum
We treat the following clinical pictures with acute or subacute pain, functional limitation or following an injury without risk to life:
- Accident-related – so-called traumatic – injuries such as a dislocated or separated joint, torn ligaments and tendons or bone fractures
- Acute pain of the cervical spine, thoracic spine or lumber spine – so-called cervicalgia, thoracalgia and lumbago
- Acute joint pain with and without signs of inflammation – so-called arthralgias and arthritides
- Inflammations near a joint endoprosthesis or an implant, also described as periprosthetic joint infections
- Fatigue fractures, often also referred to as insufficiency fractures
- Damage caused by degradation of ligaments or tendons - so-called degenerative ligament and tendon lesions
Emergency hotline
Balgrist University Hospital
Forchstrasse 340
8008 Zurich
Here’s how to find us
Specialist orthopedic teams
Spinal column team
The Spine Center is specialized in acute diseases and injuries to the spinal column and medulla:
- Bandscheibenvorfall und Diskushernien der Lenden-, Hals- und Brustwirbelsäule
- Verletzungen der Wirbelsäule
- sich verschlechternde rheumatische Erkrankungen an der Wirbelsäule
Hip team
The specialist team offers highly specialized hip and pelvis surgery:
- Arthroscopy for sports-related damage due to overexertion and injuries
- After-effects of injuries to the pelvis, hip joint and thigh
- Injuries or degenerative disorders of the hip tendons and muscles
Knee team
The specialist team offers treatments for all accident and sports injuries:
- Damage to the meniscus or cartilage and injuries to the cruciate ligament and lateral ligament
- Complicated and combined injuries to ligaments, meniscus and cartilage
- Patellar (kneecap) instability
Foot team
The team offers various emergency surgical treatments for the foot and ankle:
- Fractures of the rear foot, middle foot and forefoot
- Injuries to the foot and ankle
- Injuries to the Achilles tendon
Shoulder team
The shoulder and elbow team focus primarily on:
- Restoration of the rotator cuff after tendon ruptures
- Stabilization operations after dislocations of the shoulder
- Treatment of shoulder and elbow fractures
Hand team
Hand surgery is offered for the following emergencies:
- Fractures of the forearm, wrist and hand bones
- Painful, distorted, unstable or stiff joints after an accident
- Paralyses of the arm and hand, particularly damage to the brachial plexus in children and adults