Orthopedic Medicine
All Orthopedic Medicine information on Ewtrf.org
Orthopedic Surgeons
Orthopedics involves the treatment of patients who have been affected by injuries or diseases related to the musculoskeletal system. Some orthopedic surgeons focus on dealing with trauma, while others spend more time working with patients who are affected by degenerative diseases.
There are over 20,000 practicing orthopedic surgeons in the United States, including those on residency training programs. Orthopedic surgeons account for between 3 and 4 percent of all practicing physicians in the United States.
The training of orthopedic surgeons in the United States require a bachelor's degree, followed by four years of medical school and then a residency in the specialty of orthopedic surgery. This is a five year residency. The first year of the residency will usually involve training in general surgery, with the following four years allowing the surgeon to undergo more specialized training in orthopedic surgery. After completing this residency training, an orthopedic surgeon will be ready to practice. However, some orthopedic surgeons choose to take on further training in order to focus on a particular sub-specialty, usually through a fellowship.
Sub-specialties in orthopedic surgery include foot and ankle, shoulder and elbow, spine or hand surgery, arthroplasty or joint reconstruction, sports medicine surgery, orthopedic trauma, pediatric orthopedic surgery and musculoskeletal oncology. Training in a sub-specialty usually takes either one or two years, depending on the specialty and the type of training that is being undertaken. Some orthopedic surgeons may also choose to take on some research at some point in their training.
There are some areas in which orthopedic surgery crosses over with other types of surgery and medicine. Both orthopedic and plastic surgeons may work on hand surgery, for example, and neurosurgeons are usually involved in surgery on the spine. Orthopedic surgeons may also work with emergency medicine doctors in cases of trauma, doctors of podiatric medicine when dealing with the feet and ankles, and family practice physicians, who may also specialize in sports medicine.
Orthopedic surgery is one of the most competitive specialties in medicine. Many of the candidates who successfully obtain training places in orthopedic surgery residencies graduated near the top of their class in medical school. The number of physicians who finish a residency in orthopedic surgery in the United States each year is about 650. Typically, a large proportion of these surgeons will be male. It has been estimated that only about 7 percent of the surgeons who complete residency training in this specialty are female.
Orthopedic surgeons typically perform operations to fix fractured bones in place while they are healing, to repair damaged ligaments and cartilage, or to insert implants, including whole joint implants or prostheses. Arthroscopy is one of the most common techniques used in modern orthopedic surgery. It involves working through a smaller incision than is usual with traditional open surgery.
Arthroscopy is just one of the developments that has been put in place in order to make orthopedic surgery less invasive and in order to reduce the chances of complications arising after surgery. Modern orthopedic surgery has come a long way from its origins in the battlefields of the world, and it is now often able to help patients to recover a great deal of their strength and mobility. Many soldiers, athletes and members of the general public have been returned to their former state by orthopedic surgeons using the latest technology and the newest techniques.
Further information on careers in orthopedic medicine and surgery, including the non-surgical aspects of orthopedics, can be found on ewtrf.org.