Orthopedics is the medical specialty that deals with the treatment of malformations and functional problems of the skeletal system, and its associated structures such as muscles and ligaments.
What does an orthopedist do?
An orthopedist is a physician who can diagnose congenital or functional problems of the musculoskeletal system such as infections, sports injuries, fractures, joint problems, osteoporosis, and bone cancer. If necessary the doctor can also perform surgery including complex interventions such as hip replacement.
What diseases are treated by an orthopedist?
Among the diseases most often treated by an orthopedist are shoulder problems such as impingement syndrome, rotator cuff injury, instability, dislocation, and osteoarthritis, knee problems such as arthritis, meniscus, cartilage injuries, anterior cruciate ligament, and patellofemoral syndrome. Others include hip problems such as arthritis, problems of the hand such as carpal tunnel syndrome, foot problems including bunions, and others such as fractures, scoliosis, back ache, and sprains.
What are the procedures used by an orthopedist?
Before proceeding with a surgery, an orthopedist will try if possible to solve a problem with less invasive approaches, such as prescribing drugs, or using targeted injections, rehabilitation, and physiotherapy. When these treatments are no longer sufficient to control the symptoms the doctor may resort to surgery.
When should a patient visit an orthopedist?
An appointment with an orthopedist is recommended if a patient is experiencing problems in the back, shoulders, hips, knees, or ankles. Specific symptoms include difficulty performing simple tasks such as climbing stairs or carrying shopping bags, pain in the muscles, tendons, or joints that last longer than a few days, and pain in the joints that becomes more intense while resting. Others include swelling or bruising at the joints, limitation in range of motion such as difficulty keeping your back straight, deformity of the joints, signs of infection such as inflammation and heating of the affected area, fever and rashes, and any abnormal symptoms in a part of the body affected by pain.
