An Introduction to Orthopedic Surgery Doctors

There are different types of orthopedic issues that Americans face. Some of the typical conditions which orthopedic surgery doctors treat relate to back pain, knees, arthritis, and stiff neck. The different musculoskeletal conditions have a bad impact on Americans’ health.

For any patient who suffers from a musculoskeletal condition, they must visit an orthopedic surgery doctor.

Who is an orthopedic surgeon?

An orthopedic surgeon is a doctor who takes care of the diagnosis and treatment of injuries or disorders in human body’s musculoskeletal system. They treat their patients with problems relating to tendons, bones, ligaments, muscles, and joints.

Orthopedic Specialists

Some orthopedic surgery doctors specializes in a certain area. The typical areas of specialization include shoulder, foot and ankle, hip, hand, spine, knee, or elbow. The orthopedic surgery doctor may also choose from different fields including oncology, sports medicine,
reconstructive surgery, pediatrics, and trauma.

Training and Education

The orthopedic surgery doctor undergoes extensive training for diagnosing and treating injuries. Orthopedic surgeons usually undergo 14 years of education with study in medical school. The orthopedic surgeons usually study for five years at an orthopedic residency. It is common for orthopedic physicians to undergo one year of training related to their specialty.

Board certification is desired step in the right direction for the orthopedic specialists. There is a peer review process through which each member must undergo. An orthopedic specialist becomes certified after passing written and oral examinations.

An orthopedic surgeon has to undergo a recertification process every 10 years. They need to continue attending medical courses for maintaining and upgrading their knowledge and skills in the field.

The orthopedic surgery doctors must maintain a cordial relationship with their patients and their families. A friendly working relationship helps the doctor know more about their patient’s preferences, needs, wants, and values The orthopedic specialist needs to work with different patients for serving their individuals and communities.

An Overview of the Treatments

Orthopedic surgery doctors treat different types of musculoskeletal conditions. The physician does not always rely on surgery to treat their patients. The bone doctors also rely on rehabilitation, alternative therapies, exercise, and medications for treating their patients. A bone surgeon only chooses to treat the patient with surgery if they do not respond to other methods of treatment.

Let us have a quick overview of some types of illnesses treated by the orthopedic surgery doctors.

• Treatment of sprains, strains, and torn ligaments.
• The injuries related to tendons, pulled muscles, torn cartilage, and bursitis.
• The injuries caused by sports or work.
• Different types of arthritis including rheumatoid, osteoarthritis, growth abnormalities, dislocations, and fractures.
• Treatment of different types of bone problems including back pain, club foot, bunions, fractures, dislocations, scoliosis, ruptured discs, and fingers or toes abnormalities.

Types of Surgeries Performed by Orthopedic Surgery Doctors

These are some of the surgeries orthopedic surgery doctors perform on their patients.

Repair of Soft Tissues

A surgery to repair torn ligaments or tendons.

Osteotomy

The correction of the bone which results from deformity.

Replacement of Joint

To remove a damaged joint and replace it with an artificial joint.

Internal Fixation

Internal fixation is a method for holding together pieces of a broken bone. The orthopedic surgery doctors use screws, pins, and metal plates. The process focuses at healing of the affected bone.

Fusion

Fusion is the merger of two bones together using internal devices like metal rods and sometimes bone grafts. The fusion makes two bones as one.

Arthroscopy

The use of special equipment including cameras to visualize an operation closely and treat joint problems.

Let us have a look at some common orthopedic treatments.

Microvascular Hand Surgery

The microvascular hand surgery uses delicate microscope to treat the hand and restore back feeling. Small incisions help restore full function of the hand performing one instead of two complicated procedures.
The new microvascular hand surgery lets the orthopedic surgery doctors work on small structures. They can now easily fix the blood vessels, and nerves. The use of a tubular graft bridges the gap between nerves, letting them grow back.

Computer Aided Knee Replacement

An orthopedic surgeon may advise their patient to undergo knee replacement surgery, if all other methods of treating the pain fail. The use of computer aided knee replacement method helps the patients get a perfect implant.

The orthopedic surgery doctor uses an advanced MRI for designing a custom cut replacement joint. The use of computer technology helps righty place the knee implant to make it a natural joint fit. A computer aided knee replacement becomes the closest to a patient’s own knee.

A computer aided knee surgery for replacement involves extensive planning. The use of computer helps reduce the surgery time the surgeons need to make a perfect implant. The use of computer aided knee replacement helps reduce blood loss with less anesthesia and a reduced chance of developing infection.

Arthroscopic Surgery of the Shoulder

The minimally invasive shoulder surgery is also referred to as shoulder arthroscopy. It is a sophisticated process involving two cameras attached to a thin tube. These cameras help the orthopedic surgery doctors look inside the operational area. The ability of the surgeon to see an enlarged image guides the surgical instruments to the right place.
A lot of the modern surgery techniques are used to help relieve the pain and suffering of the patient with least number of incisions. Arthroscopic surgery of the patients is one such procedure which the surgeons use to reduce pain and improve recovery times.

Microdiscectomy Spine Surgery

The microdiscectomy spine surgery is performed to repair a herniated spine disc. The surgery is aimed at relieving pressure on root nerve of the spine. The orthopedic surgeon doctor removes the material responsible for pain.

Microdiscectomy spine surgery is very effective in helping overcome leg pain. The surgery usually does wonders for patients of the leg pain. In some cases of weakness, and numbness, it may take weeks for the root nerve to heal. A physician usually recommends this surgery to their patients for immediate pain relief.

A Typical Visit to the Orthopedic Surgery Doctor

The typical visit to your orthopedic surgery doctor starts with a one-to-one interview. The orthopedic surgeon conducts a physical examination besides looking at medical history of the patients. Similarly, the physician may ask the patient to undergo MRI, X-ray or other tests. In most of the orthopedic or musculoskeletal system problems, the surgeon has more than one treatment options available. The doctor discusses different available treatment options with the patient.