Orthopedic or orthopaedic is a terminology used in the medical field which describes the correction of deformed bones. This branch of biology deals with the alignment of posture, deformities in bones, injuries, and disorders in bones. Hence any correction concerning the structure of bone comes under this branch of medicine. Orthopaedic surgeons deal with such types of cases. Let’s get into the description of orthopaedics and the major areas of focus associated with it. Orthopaedic Meaning.
Roles and Responsibilities of Orthopaedic Surgeons
Orthopaedic surgery is a complicated procedure and hence it becomes crucial to fulfilling all roles and responsibilities to avoid any complications in the surgery. Some of them are mentioned below:-
- Diagnosing and examining the patient
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The first basic step before treating the patient is identifying the root cause of the problem and the affected area of the body associated with it. This requires patience and proper interaction with the patient by an orthopaedic surgeon. Any mistake in this step may lead to further complications in the future. Therefore it is important to schedule a proper conversational one-on-one meeting with the patient.
- Studying the medical history of the patient
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After finding the accurate cause behind the problem, the surgeon needs to start studying the medical history reports of the patient. This helps the orthopaedic surgeon structurally plan the treatment and the surgery. Patients with diabetes, cardiac problems, and fluctuating blood pressure are taken care of properly. Such cases are dealt with with high observation. Medical history also helps the other family members to detect genetic diseases at a budding or early stage.
Basic tests include X-RAY, MRI, CBC (complete blood count), and tests to detect dysfunctional kidney, liver, diabetes, etc. They are important to perform the prior treatment. Only after the optimal conditions appear in test reports, patients are further treated.
After completion of diagnosing, studying the medical and physical history of the patient, and conducting basic tests, the Doctor starts surgery by coordinating with the team and specialist. This surgery is complicated and requires a lot of skills and experience before getting into it. Hence, it is always advisable to consult a surgeon with high expertise and knowledge to handle complications during surgery. Intern surgeons and doctors can also perform such surgeries but only under the observation of some skilled or professional doctor.
- Observing patient post-surgery
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After the surgery is done successfully on the patient, she/he is kept under observation for some time by doctors. They observe the recovery rate and healing of the wound or affected areas. Medications are also given as prescribed by the doctor. This is an important step as many times complications arise after surgery and it requires fast-paced treatment, which could be possibly given in hospitals where doctors are available for 24 hours.
Some of The Orthopaedic Diseases/Disorders Are:
Now, after studying the roles of surgeons, let us find some of the common orthopaedic disorders and symptoms associated with them.
Orthopaedic diseases or disorders deal with the deformation of bones and skeleton, which results in problems such as posture conformation, length of identical arms or feet vary, pain, swelling, fractures, etc.
Here the list is given for Orthopaedic disorders.
Arthritis is an orthopaedic disorder, which causes swelling around the joints and affected areas of bone. This could be seen as inflammation too. Factors responsible for causes of arthritis include high obesity or fat accumulation in the body, increase in the age of an individual, past injury or trauma in the bone, and wear and tear of cartilages in joints of bones.
Some of the major symptoms of arthritis are swelling, inflammation, ache in body movement, fatigue, redness, etc. If an individual observes such symptoms, it is advisable to consult a doctor. Doctors diagnose this disorder by performing tests such as X-RAY, CT SCAN, and MRI.
There are various types of arthritis i.e, Rheumatoid arthritis, and osteoarthritis.
Wear and tear of the cartilages in the bones cause osteoarthritis. This usually occurs due to aging, prolonged heavy weight lifting, and a sedentary lifestyle. It is a chronic disease and mostly affects the joints of the hip, shoulder, knee, etc. Cartilages are one type of connective tissue that is used for various purposes such as cushioning, flexibility, etc. Symptoms of osteoarthritis are stiffness, ache, swelling, and crackling sound from joints during movement. It can be diagnosed with the help of the X-RAY imaging technique. However, it can be treated with suitable exercises, hot-cold treatment, joint surgeries like knee replacement surgery, hip replacement surgery, etc., avoiding heavy weight lifting, and using the proper equipment for support and movement.
Rheumatoid arthritis is also a type of arthritis that causes deformities in the usual joints and structure of bones. This is a chronic disorder. It is an autoimmune disease and it attacks the self cells of the body. This results in inflammation of the joints and inconvenience in the movement, fever, chills, fatigue, pain or aches around the affected area, and stiffness. This can be diagnosed with the help of Image scanning techniques like X-RAY, MRI, and CT scan. Such a process uses radiation to pass through the affected area and hence forming an image.
Knee joint pain is the most common type of orthopaedic disorder and it can be treated properly. For knee-related problems, surgeries like total knee replacement, and partial knee-related surgery could be done. The symptoms of such issues include knee pain, swelling, inflammation, etc.
However, knee replacement has a success rate of 95% and disorders can be cured with it.
Back pain is an issue that every individual faces once in their lifetime. This severeness may vary from individual to individual. The spine provides a connection between the brain and the body. This spinal cord is supported by the backbone, which consists of vertebrae, cartilages, etc. This helps in movement and supports the overall body. But wear and tear arises in the joints or cartilages which results in back pain. Disk injury, disk degeneration, spinal stenosis,
Fractures arise due to weak bones, trauma, and accidents. The bones of babies are fragile and the chances of fracture are major. Lack of nutritional levels like calcium in the body can be the major reason behind fractures.
Foot pain arises due to arthritis, which causes inflammation and swelling of the feet. This can destroy the ligaments and tendons in the feet creating aches.
Neck pain is very common among all age groups of people. Causes for neck pain are sitting for too long, using hard pillows, and an inactive lifestyle.
Scoliosis is an orthopaedic disorder that results in the curving of the backbone. This is usually observed in children with low nutritional levels. However, older people can observe it due to arthritis.
Osteoporosis is the degradation of bone’s calcium. This makes them fragile and enhances the chances of breakage of the bones. It is commonly observed in women after the age of 35-40. This can increase pain in the hips, joints, arms, etc.
Women have more chances to have carpal tunnel syndrome than men. It can create issues like weakness, pain, swelling, etc.
Orthopaedic disorder of Paget is a chronic disorder. It is the enlargement of bone affected and further deformation. Major symptoms include pain, over enlargement of bones, bone deformity, and bone fracture risk. Diagnosis can be done with the help of X-RAY, blood test, biopsy, scanning of the body, etc. physiotherapy, medications and surgery could help in the treatment of Paget’s disease.
How Orthopaedic Helps in Joint Replacement Surgery
Joint replacement treatment is the surgical method of replacing the damaged part of the joints, say cartilage, with a metal, alloy, or plastic dome. This surgery could be either a total replacement surgery or partial replacement surgery. The success rate is 90% in such types of surgeries. In the orthopaedic field, such surgeries focus mainly on pain removal by replacing damaged cartilages. However, there are certain complications in the surgery viz, infection, allergy, variation in the length of the knees, revision replacement surgery, etc.
Training & Degree in Orthopaedic Are as Follows:
- Bachelor’s degree in the specialized branch of medicine.
- Training certificate and license.
- Practice with highly specialized doctors and experts.
- Skills like critical thinking, general awareness, mental ability
- Coordination with the team and staff.
- Proper diagnosis skills.
When to Orthopaedic for Joint Treatment
If the pain in the joints or bones is enhanced.
- 1. If the swelling is severe in a specific area of the body.
- 2. Deformation of bones.
- 3. Inflammation
- 4. Stiffness in the joints
- 5. Difficulty in the movement
- 6. Enlargement of bones
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We can conclude that orthopaedic surgeries can help one to get relief from pain and prolong difficulties in movement. However, the surgeon should be experienced to avoid the medical issues later.
Frequently asked questions
When does orthopaedic mean?
Ans- Orthopaedic is the term used in the medical field, which is the restoration of skeletal issues in the body that help to get relief from pain and stiffness in movement. Orthopaedic surgeons with good experience can handle such cases.
What do orthopaedics treat?
Orthopaedics treat the deformed, dysfunctional, and diseased bones in the body. They diagnose the problem, study the medical reports, conduct basic tests and then start the procedure and treatment.
What is orthopaedic disease?
Orthopaedic disease includes knee, neck, hip pain, bone deformation of the back, osteoporosis, scoliosis, fractures, Paget’s disease, osteoarthritis, arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, etc.
What is a bone doctor called?
The bone doctor is known as orthopaedic surgeon who deals with the surgeries of deformed and damaged bones. Such surgeons are well experienced and skilled in handling complicated surgeries.
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