An orthopedic surgeon specializes in treating conditions and injuries that affect the musculoskeletal system. They undergo rigorous training and may specialize in certain fields, such as pediatric surgery or sports medicine. They may perform surgeries such as joint replacement and work with patients of all ages. Some surgeries may overlap with other specialties, and patients may need referrals to see an orthopedic surgeon.
An orthopedic surgeon, and this can also be spelled orthopedic surgeon, is a physician who specializes in the treatment of conditions or injuries that affect the skeletal system, surrounding muscles, and the various tissues such as ligaments, joints, and tendons that are connected to bones and their muscles surrounding. This can more accurately be called the musculoskeletal system. While the term surgeon is included, these doctors do more than surgery and use a variety of methods to help promote healing, which can include things like throwing broken bones or back braces to help address scoliosis.
The educational requirements to become an orthopedic surgeon are time consuming and rigorous. In addition to obtaining a four-year degree, these doctors attend medical school and then also complete several years of internship and residency requirements. Many spend another year or two in fellowship programs to specialize in certain fields and may choose to become pediatric surgeons or those with experience in sports medicine or treating cancer in the musculoskeletal system. In all, these physicians can expect to complete 12-14 years of training after graduating from high school.
Those surgeons who do not specialize in a specific area of orthopedics may treat a diverse clientele with numerous needs. They may work with infants, children, adults and the elderly and can have significant variations in the types of jobs they perform. Their work might include things like helping heal broken bones, addressing repetitive motion injuries like carpal tunnel, or treating people with injuries from sports participation. These surgeons also have patients with long-term conditions such as cerebral palsy, osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis or brittle bone disease.
While some procedures and treatments offered by an orthopedic surgeon are non-surgical, there are many surgeries performed by these doctors. These can include things like joint replacement, surgical bone restoration, and soft tissue damage correction. This list is very short and should in no way be considered exhaustive. Orthopedic surgeons can generally be said to become involved when people have disease or injury to most aspects of the musculoskeletal system and this disease or injury is significant enough that it is not treatable by primary care physicians.
There are certain surgeries that an orthopedic surgeon might perform that overlap with other specialties. Podiatrists may perform some surgeries on the feet and ankles, and some spine surgeries may be the responsibility of neurosurgeons. Some conditions require care from more than one specialist. This could be the case for people suffering from rheumatoid arthritis. They can see an orthopedic surgeon and an immunologist or rheumatologist.
Many surgeons work in hospitals and only treat the population that enters the hospital. Others maintain private practice and perform surgeries as needed. Because these doctors are specialists, patients may need to obtain referrals from health insurance companies or their primary care physician before seeing an orthopedic surgeon. However, this really depends on your health plan and health coverage.
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