Orthopedics and Orthopedic Surgery

Orthopedics is a specialty field of medicine that began with a single focus – to treat children who were born with deformities of the spine and limbs. Today, the specialty is multi-faceted and comprehensive, providing care for people of all ages and a wide variety of musculoskeletal problems. From bone fractures to joint replacement surgery, from sports injuries to arthritis, orthopedics has evolved over the past 30 years into one of the most dynamic and rapidly growing fields of medicine, offering hope to millions of people of all ages who suffer from a problem with the muscles, bones, joints and other structures of the musculoskeletal system.

The musculoskeletal system – the bones, muscles, ligaments, tendons and other supporting structures -- support our bodies and enable us to move and function. As a result, many of these structures, especially our joints, experience daily stresses and strains. Injuries are common among people who lead active lifestyles. And aging takes its toll, as well, with the wear and tear of daily life eventually causing joints to lose their natural ease of movement and muscles to lose their strength. Orthopedics is a specialty that focuses on all of these problems, with sub-specialization in such areas of expertise as arthritis treatments, joint replacement surgery, work-related injuries, and sports medicine.

In fact, current statistics imply that orthopedics is a medical specialty that touches almost everyone’s life in some way. Below are some of the most common problems.  

• Diseases affecting the musculoskeletal system affect more than 15.3 million older people. Arthritis is the leading chronic condition among Americans age 65 and older.
• Injuries to the musculoskeletal system affect approximately 28.6 million Americans each year.
• Degenerative disorders, such as osteoarthritis,  result in a fracture in 1 out of every 2 women and 1 out of every 8 men older than age 50 at some time in their lives. And over 300,000 joint replacement operations are currently performed in the United States each year.
• Back or spine problems affecting approximately 18.4 million people and are the most common musculoskeletal problem.

Although orthopedics is primarily a surgical specialty, orthopedic physicians are also active in helping to prevent injuries through patient teaching, treatment of chronic conditions, sports training, and rehabilitation from injury.