Professor Shmuel Dekel

Professor Shmuel Dekel, one of Israel's oldest and most experienced orthopedists, is a world-class specialist in joint arthroplasty, a recognized authority in the reconstruction and replacement of damaged knee and hip joints, and an expert in treating heel spur with botulinum toxin, complicated rickets, osteoporosis and other severe diseases that impair motor function and lead to disability.

Dr. Shmuel Dekel received his medical education at the Faculty of Medicine of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and completed his first specialization as an orthopedist also in Israel, at the medical school of Tel Aviv University. He then upgraded his qualifications at the University of Oxford in England, where he worked at the world-famous Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre, and on returning to Israel continued his training at a university clinic in Tel Aviv, soon receiving the degree of doctor of medicine.

Today Professor Dekel heads the orthopedic department of Ichilov Medical Center in Tel Aviv and the Department of Orthopedics at the Tel Aviv University Faculty of Medicine, conducts extensive research on problems of orthopedic surgery, and lectures at international universities. He is recognized as one of the best lecturers at international level, and as a physician with rich experience he oversees the practical work of beginning specialists and reviews the dissertations of future candidates and doctors of science. Professor Dekel is the author of more than 80 scientific papers and co-author of two orthopedics textbooks used by medical students worldwide. He is chairman of the Israel Orthopaedic Association and a member of the British Orthopaedic Association and the international fracture treatment society.

Dr. Dekel's scientific interests cover a wide range of orthopedic problems. As a scientific, practical and clinical expert, he takes a very active part in research on the medical aspects of the development of osteoporosis and osteoarthritis, the clinical possibilities of using botulinum toxin in treating degenerative foot diseases, and the search for and development of new technologies for revision joint replacement operations.

Currently Dr. Dekel works at Ichilov and Assuta hospitals and serves as chief physician in one of the orthopedic departments. Among other things, his professional expertise includes:

• hip and knee joint replacement and revision joint replacement;
• conservative and surgical treatment of all types of kneecap pathology;
• treatment of heel spur with botulinum toxin;
• treatment of degenerative, including age-related, diseases of the musculoskeletal system;
• innovative technologies for bone union in slow bone healing;
• consultation of patients with undiagnosed conditions (unexplained bone and joint pathology).

Professor Dekel chooses the method of orthopedic treatment individually for each patient, ensuring the best treatment result.