Orthopaedic surgery : Specialists

What is orthopaedics?

This is a branch of medicine which deals with disorders of the bones, muscles and joints. This includes arthritis, sports injuries and congenital defects.

What is orthopaedic surgery?

This is a type of surgery that treats problems of the musculoskeletal system (muscles and bones). This includes surgery to reconstruct a shoulder injury, hip replacement and bone cancer.

What is an orthopaedic surgeon?

He or she is a surgeon who is highly skilled at treating injury or disease of the bones, muscles and joints.

What does an orthopaedic surgeon do?

He or she will carry out surgery on a wide range of conditions and here are a few examples of these:

• Torn cartilage
• Ruptured anterior cruciate ligament
• Congenital deformity, e.g. club foot in children
• Fusion of discs in spinal column
• Carpal tunnel syndrome

There is a vast range of surgical procedures available to treat an orthopaedic disorder and these include:

• Knee arthroscopy
• Relieve pressure on the carpal tunnel
• Hip replacement
• Correcting abnormal leg development in children (one leg longer than the other)
• Shoulder reconstruction
• Repair fractures e.g. ankle, knee, leg etc
• Spinal fusion (combine vertebrae to ease back pain)