Head
Last update: February 12th, 2009
Prof. Dr. C. Niek van Dijk, MD, PhD
Niek van Dijk is head of the Orthopaedic Department of the AMC-hospital (Academical Medical Centre Amsterdam, University of Amsterdam) and full professor in orthopaedic surgery at the University of Amsterdam. He is specialized in surgery of the ankle and knee, sport traumatology and arthroscopic surgery. In 2000 het started the first Amsterdam Foot and Ankle Course and developped the Amsterdam Foot and Ankle Platform. Niek van Dijk is founder and director of the Orthopaedic Research Center Amsterdam.
His board activities concern:
Vice-President ESSKA
President Nordic Orthopaedic Federation (NOF)
Board Member ISAKOS
Vice-President Indo-European Arthroscopy/Arthroplasty Foundation (IEAAF)
Medical Committee World Squash Federation
He is Past Chairman of the Dutch Orthopaedic Association, the Dutch Arthroscopy Association, the Arthroscopy Committee of the ESSKA, the Arthroscopy Committee of the ISAKOS.
He is a member of several editorial boards, is corresponding member of the Deutschprachige Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Arthroskopie (AGA), honorary member of the Greek Arthroscopy Association (HAA) and honorary member of the Tjechoslowakia Arthroscopy Association.
The research line of Niek van Dijk focuses on ankle and hindfoot pathology, arthroscopy and sports traumatology. The title of his thesis is ‘On diagnostic strategies in patients with severe ankle sprain' (March 24th 1994). The two most important findings were:
1. For the diagnosis of an acute lateral ankle ligament rupture, the delayed physical examination is sufficient.
2. Any supination trauma will not only lead to damage to the lateral ankle ligament, but mechanical compression on the medial side of the joint will lead to cartilage damage and residual complaints. The questions that were raised by this thesis have resulted in a number of research lines dealing with biomedical and biomechanical aspects of ankle trauma.
Prospective randomised clinical trials, meta-analysis and cadaver research concerning diagnosis and treatment of ankle and hindfoot pathology were performed, resulting in numerous publications and book chapters. Basic research concerns structural remodelling of ligaments which includes the role of gene therapy and cartilage research.
A direct consequence of the research line has been the national consensus on acute ankle injury in 1998. Further structure was brought into the research line, when in 1999 the Orthopaedic Research Center Amsterdam was founded.
Concerning long term results several aspects are under research, such as prevention of residual ankle complaints. Diagnostic and therapeutic strategies on chronic ankle injuries have been the focus of research. New minimal invasive operative techniques were developed for treatment of chronic articular and peri-articular ankle pathology. In collaboration with the Technical University in Delft, new instruments are developed and current operative techniques are under research. International collaboration has been instutionalized with Harvard University Boston, MA, USA (Prof. dr. J. Jupiter and Dr. D. Ring), Duke University, Durham, NC, USA (Prof. dr. J. Nunley), Kantonsspital Liestal University of Basel, Switserland (Prof. dr. B. Hintermann), the University of Pittsburgh, KS, USA (Prof. dr. S.L-Y. Woo, Prof. dr. F.H. Fu), the University of Barcelona, Spain (Dr. P. Golanó) and the Sri Ramachandra University, Chennai, India (Prof. dr. S. Arumugam). Currently 9 PhD students are involved in research projects that are part of these collaborations.
Overall, current research projects involve 19 PhD students. He published over 200 scientific indexed publications and chapters and presents on average 25 international invited lectures a year.
