VALENCIA, SPAIN
Hospital Ribera IMSKE
Specialist musculoskeletal hospital in Valencia. It opened in 2020 as the European Musculoskeletal Institute and is part of the Ribera Salud Group. It brings together traumatology, rehabilitation, rheumatology and sports medicine in a single 10,300 m² facility.
Musculoskeletal care
Accredited training centre
International patient care
Specialisation and activity
Most hospitals have a trauma and orthopaedic surgery department. Ribera IMSKE is a specialist centre: the entire hospital is dedicated to musculoskeletal conditions.
Procedure volume is one of the factors most strongly associated with better outcomes in joint replacement surgery.
Complete care pathway
Diagnosis, surgery, hospitalisation and rehabilitation all take place in the same centre, with no external referrals between stages.
Origins of the centre
Founded in 2020 by Dr Ignacio and Dr Isabel Muñoz Criado, with two generations of specialist expertise behind it.
Leading centre in sports medicine
It provides medical services for Levante UD and has agreements with Valencia Basket, Les Abelles Rugby and Balonmano Llíria.
Accredited training centre
Accredited by the Spanish Arthroscopy Association, with around 700 arthroscopies performed each year.
Annual figures published by the centre.
Facilities and equipment
Ten floors, one care pathway
Each floor corresponds to a different stage of the care pathway, allowing internal referrals to be managed entirely within the same building.
A typical surgical patient pathway begins with access on floor 0, consultation on floors 4–5, diagnostic imaging on floor 3, preoperative care on floor 8, surgery on floor 9, hospitalisation on floor 7 and rehabilitation on floor 1.
Reception
Entrance, cafeteria and parking
Rehabilitation
Hydrotherapy pool and physiotherapy
Reconditioning
600 m² for functional and strength assessment
Diagnostics
3T MRI, CT and laboratory
Outpatient clinics
Ultrasound and in-room interventional procedures
Teaching and administration
Auditorium and training rooms
Hospitalisation
Single rooms, including 5 suites
Preoperative area
Preparation and day-case recovery
Operating theatres
5 theatres, PACU and 4K cameras for teaching
Equipment
Diagnostic, surgical and rehabilitation equipment available at the centre.
3T MRI
70 cm gantry and up to 40% higher resolution than a 1.5 T system. Shorter scans and less need for sedation in younger patients.
Diagnostic imaging
Multidetector CT with interventional capabilities, integrated with motorised digital radiography, plus high-frequency ultrasound with matrix and multifrequency probes.
Operating theatres
Advanced monitoring, intraoperative imaging and 4K cameras for teaching broadcasts.
Rehabilitation and reconditioning
Hyperbaric chamber, shockwave therapy, Emfield Pro, MAD-UP, cryotherapy and INDIBA Active diathermy, together with Desmotec iso-inertial technology, a Keiser functional trainer and Wattbike for strength assessment.
Clinical units and procedures
The organisation is based on the anatomical area affected rather than the medical specialty, which is how patients usually identify their condition. Each unit links to its full guide, including indications and recovery recommendations.
Medical team
For international patients, the surgical team is just as important as the hospital itself when making a treatment decision.
Dr. Ignacio Muñoz Criado
Co-founder. Specialist in hip and knee replacement, arthroscopy and cruciate ligament surgery.
Spanish · English
Dr. Gerd Bordón
Head of the Spine Unit. Specialist in minimally invasive surgery, scoliosis and herniated discs.
German · Spanish · English
Dr. Paulino Sánchez Arteaga
Specialist in robotic knee replacement and reconstructive surgery. Trained at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York.
Spanish · EnglishInternational patient care
We manage the entire process, from case assessment through to follow-up after you return home.
Submit your case
Send us your medical reports and imaging tests. You will receive a treatment plan with the proposed procedure within 24 hours.
Support during your stay
A coordinator manages your admission and administrative procedures. Individual patient rooms include a sofa bed for a companion.
Follow-up after discharge
You will receive a complete medical report in English, rehabilitation guidelines and online consultations with the surgeon responsible for your procedure.
Patients from the European Union
The EU Cross-Border Healthcare Directive may allow you to claim reimbursement for part of your treatment in your country of residence. This is the route commonly used by Irish and British patients on waiting lists. View full guide
Recover in Valencia: sea, mild climate and outdoor rehabilitation
Having surgery in Valencia places your treatment beside the former Turia riverbed, close to the City of Arts and Sciences and just ten minutes from the beach. The city has an international airport with direct connections to major European capitals, around twenty minutes by car from the hospital.
There are hotels and apartments within walking distance of the centre, allowing a companion to stay nearby during admission and the initial stage of rehabilitation. Valencia's Mediterranean climate, with mild winters, makes outdoor rehabilitation possible for much of the year.
Valencia is Spain's third-largest city and has a noticeably lower cost of living than many other European capitals, an important consideration when a stay needs to be extended.
How to get here
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Hospital Ribera IMSKE specialise in?
Exclusively in musculoskeletal care: bones, muscles, joints and the spine. It covers traumatology, rehabilitation, rheumatology, sports medicine, pain management and paediatric traumatology. It is not a general hospital.
How many joint replacements are performed each year?
Around 601 knee replacements and 477 hip replacements are performed each year, together with approximately 634 knee arthroscopies, out of a total of around 5,800 procedures.
Can I have surgery here if I live outside Spain?
Yes. Send us your medical reports and imaging tests and you will receive a treatment plan before travelling.
Can rehabilitation be carried out in the same hospital?
Yes. Floors 1 and 2 are dedicated to physiotherapy, hydrotherapy and reconditioning, so there is no need to travel to an external centre.
What languages will I be assisted in?
The Ribera Salud Group’s international patient service is available in Spanish, English, French, German and Arabic, with interpretation services available.
Tell us about your case
Send us your medical reports and imaging tests. Our medical team will assess your case and provide you with a personalised treatment plan within 24 hours, with no obligation.
