Dr. med. Farah Selman
Shoulder and elbow surgery with international expertise – tailored to each individual and provided on a personal basis.
PD Dr Andreas L. Oberholzer
Dr Farah Selman, MD
FMH-certified specialist in orthopaedics and trauma surgery. Areas of specialisation: shoulder and elbow surgery.
Shoulder treatments
Shoulder osteoarthritis | Shoulder prosthesis (inverted and anatomical)
Rotator cuff reconstruction | Shoulder joint instability | AC joint dislocation | Frozen shoulder | Scapular dyskinesia
Elbow treatments
Tennis elbow | Biceps tendon rupture | Elbow instability | Ulnar nerve | Elbow osteoarthritis | Elbow prosthesis
Dr. med. Farah Selman
Pain and injuries to the musculoskeletal system can have a significant impact on everyday life. At the same time, given the wide range of treatment options available, it is not always easy to find a healthcare provider whom you can trust both professionally and personally.
Dr Farah Selman is a specialist in orthopaedic surgery and traumatology, specialising in the treatment of conditions affecting the shoulder and elbow joints. She completed her specialist training at the University Hospital of Zurich and at internationally renowned institutions, including the Institut de Chirurgie Réparatrice in Nice, Harvard Medical School in Boston and the Mayo Clinic in Rochester.
With Dr Selman, you can expect your symptoms to be taken seriously and thoroughly assessed. She takes the time to work with you to find the best conservative or surgical treatment. In doing so, she combines modern, evidence-based medicine with professional diligence, empathy and personalised care.
Languages
German, English, Arabic, French
Professional activities
- Since 2026: Head of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery at the Ortho am See Specialist Centre in the Haus zur Pyramide, and consultant at the Bethanien Private Clinic
- 2025–2026: Senior Consultant at Balgrist University Hospital, Zurich
Education
- 2024–2025: Fellowship in Shoulder and Elbow Surgery, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, USA
- 2024: International Shoulder Surgery Fellow, Institut de Chirurgie Réparatrice Locomoteur et Sports, Nice, France
- 2023–2024: Postgraduate Medical Education Programme, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA
- 2023: Observership in Shoulder and Upper Limb Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, USA
- 2020–2023: Resident in Orthopaedics and Trauma Surgery, Balgrist University Hospital, Zurich
- 2019–2020: Resident in General and Trauma Surgery, Waid City Hospital, Zurich
Memberships
- SECEC/ESSE: European Society for Surgery of the Shoulder and the Elbow
- DVSE: German Association for Shoulder and Elbow Surgery
- AGA: German-speaking Working Group for Arthroscopy
- SGO: Swiss Society for Orthopaedics and Traumatology
Publications
- S Haupt, CJ Laux, SM Maurer, F Selman, A Lebeda, S Dossi, T Götschi, S Catanzaro, H Bomberg, U Eichenberger, M Farshad: Local wound anesthesia in spine surgery – a randomized, double-blind, controlled trial. Spine J. 2026; 26(8):1451-1459.
- F Selman, NPJ Perry, DJ Restrepo, D Coleman, J Sanchez-Sotelo: Refining Shoulder Diagnostics: A Technical Note on Scapular Physical Examination. Arthrosc Tech. 2026; e70203.
- S Bouaicha, M Biner, F Selman, K Wieser, AM Müller, L Audigé: The shoulder stiffness scale: a validated tool for monitoring stiffness in arthroscopic rotator cuff reconstructions. Arch Orthop Trauma Surg. 2026; 146(1):247.
- AS Vazquez-Lloret, L Garayua-Cruz, MD Baird, KE Yu, F Selman, J SanchezSotelo: Primary osteoarthritis of the sternoclavicular joint: surgical management using the sternal docking technique. J Shoulder Elbow Surg. 2026; 35(7):e732e738.
- F Selman, E Ongini, NPJ Perry, M Meisterhans, M Gressl, K Wieser: Comparable biomechanical performance of magnesium-based and titanium screws for the Latarjet procedure in a cadaveric study. JSES Int. 2026; 10(2):101410.
- L Audigé et al., ARCR_Pred Study Group (including F Selman): Comparison of articular-sided, bursal-sided, and intratendinous partial rotator cuff tears: outcomes of surgical repair from a multicenter cohort study. J Orthop Surg Res. 2026; 21(1):163.
- M Matter, L Audigé, T Stojanov, A Mueller, MA Zumstein, A Hayoz, ARCR_Pred Study Group (including F Selman): Return to sport after arthroscopic rotator cuff repair: epidemiology and prognostic factors in a Swiss multicentre cohort. Br J Sports Med. 2026; 60(2):116-124.
- G Moschini et al.: HIF1α gates tendon response to overload and drives tendinopathy independently of vascular recruitment. Sci Transl Med. 2026; 18(831):eadt1228.
- F Selman, V Schneebeli, S de Joode, D Müller, T Dreher: Motorized Intramedullary Bone Transport Nail for Reconstruction of a Large Diaphyseal Bone Defect after Tumor Resection in a Child – A Case Report. Children. 2026; 13(1):26.
- T Stojanov, S Aghlmandi, AM Müller, P Moroder, A Lädermann, C Baum, ARCR_Pred Study Group (including F Selman), L Audigé: Update of a prediction model for postoperative shoulder stiffness after arthroscopic rotator cuff repair. Commun Med (Lond). 2025; 5(1):413.
- K Grezda, L Audigé, C Baum, SA Müller, T Stojanov, D Schwappach, H Durchholz, ARCR_Pred Study Group (including F Selman), A Mueller: Safety of arthroscopic rotator cuff repair: using a core event set for clinician and patient assessment of risks in a multicenter cohort study. BMJ Surg Interv Health Technol. 2025; 7(1):e000400.
- S Mania, F Selman, FCS Altorfer, S de Joode, F Grubhofer, K Wieser: Semiautomated algorithm for rotational axis determination of the ulno-humeral joint. J Biomech. 2025; 189:112842.
- F Selman, K Obletz, V Vismara, R Putko, NPJ Perry: Editorial Commentary: Artificial Intelligence and Language Learning Models Can Be Improved by Curated Input of Medical Training Data but Still Face the Limitations of Available Literature and Require Continued Human Oversight. Arthroscopy. 2025; 41(8):2758-2760.
- F Selman, B Moreira, NPJ Perry, P Kriechling, M Gressl, K Wieser: Reverse total shoulder arthroplasty outcomes in elderly patients. JSES Int. 2025; 9(3):815-822.
- JR Stambaugh, R Colon-Morillo, LA Culebras Almeida, F Selman, NPJ Perry: Editorial Commentary: Meniscal Posterior Root to Bone Postoperative Healing Appears Incomplete at 24 Weeks in a Goat Model. Arthroscopy. 2025; 41(6):1893-1895.
- F Selman, L Audigé, AM Mueller, ARCR Study Group, K Wieser, F Grubhofer: The impact of biceps tenotomy/tenodesis on Popeye sign incidence and functional outcome. JSES Int. 2025; 9(2):373-379.
- B Hochreiter, C Germann, GC Feuerriegel, R Sutter, F Selman, M Gressl, ET Ek, K Wieser: Natural History of Quantitative Fatty Infiltration and 3D Muscle Volume After Nonoperative Treatment of Symptomatic Rotator Cuff Tears: A Prospective MRI Study of 79 Patients. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2024; 106(8):690-699.
- D Brune et al.: Understanding preoperative health-related quality of life in rotator cuff tear patients: role of patients' characteristics. BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2024; 25:992.
- C Baum et al.: Functional and Radiologic Outcomes of Degenerative Versus Traumatic Full-Thickness Rotator Cuff Tears Involving the Supraspinatus Tendon. Am J Sports Med. 2024; 52(2):441-450.
- M Meisterhans, F Selman, E Ongini, P Borbas, K Wieser: Stability of novel cowhitch suture button coracoid bone graft fixation in Latarjet procedures: a biomechanical study. J Shoulder Elbow Surg. 2024; 33(3):610-617.
- B Hochreiter, F Selman, AK Calek, P Kriechling, T Götschi, F Grubhofer, K Wieser, S Bouaicha: Why is female gender associated with poorer clinical outcomes after reverse total shoulder arthroplasty? J Shoulder Elbow Surg. 2023; 32(11):2355-2365.
- F Selman, P Kriechling, L Ernstbrunner, K Wieser, P Borbas: Greater Tuberosity Fractures after RTSA: A Matched Group Analysis. J Clin Med. 2023; 12(3):1153.
- FWA Waibel, S Weber, F Selman, T Götschi, MC Berli, T Böni, M Schöni: No Difference in Risk of Amputation or Frequency of Surgical Interventions Between Patients With Diabetic and Nondiabetic Charcot Arthropathy. Clin Orthop Relat Res. 2023; 481(8):1560-1568.
- H Esfandiari, P Troxler, S Hodel, D Suter, M Farshad, Collaboration Group (including F Selman), P Fürnstahl: Introducing a brain-computer interface to facilitate intraoperative medical imaging control – a feasibility study. BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2022; 23:701.
- S Hodel, F Selman, S Mania, SM Maurer, CJ Laux, M Farshad: A systematic analysis of preprints in Trauma & Orthopaedic surgery. Bone Jt Open. 2022; 3(7):582-588.
- M Farshad, F Selman, MD Burkhard, D Müller, JM Spirig: Partial sacrectomy with patient-specific osteotomy guides. N Am Spine Soc J. 2021; 8:100090.
- A Ansorge, F Selman, I Uçkay: Management of Acute Native Joint Bacterial Arthritis in Adults in 2020 – A Short Narrative, Practical State-of-the-Art Review. Acta Scientific Orthopaedics. 2021; 4(1):48-55.
- J Boeddinghaus et al.: Impact of age on the performance of the ESC 0/1halgorithms for early diagnosis of myocardial infarction. Eur Heart J. 2018; 39(42):3780-3794.
- I Strebel et al.: Diagnostic value of the cardiac electrical biomarker, a novel ECG marker indicating myocardial injury, in patients with symptoms suggestive of non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction. Ann Noninvasive Electrocardiol. 2018; 23(4):e12538.
Videos & Podcasts
Awards
- 2023 – Best Clinical Poster Award, Swiss Orthopaedics Annual Congress 2023, for “Greater Tuberosity Fractures after RTSA: A Matched Group Analysis”
- 2022 – Best Clinical Paper Award, Swiss Orthopaedics Annual Congress 2022, for “Diabetic and non-diabetic Charcot neuroosteoarthropathy demonstrate similar clinical courses”
Grants
- 2024 Balgrist University Hospital Fellowship and Further Training Grant
- 2024 Swiss Orthopaedics Scholarship Fund, postgraduate training scholarship
- 2023 Swiss Orthopaedics Scholarship Fund, Travel Grant
