Orthopaedics: From Head to Toe
You find yourself with an injury or a consistent pain. You know you need to go to the doctor, but which one? There are many different types of specialists within the medical field, and all of them can help you in different ways. Which ones are for knees, shoulders, ankles, backs and so on?
Technological developments and advances in medical research have made an orthopaedist’s office the place to visit if you injure yourself playing sports or have general trauma to your muscles or body. An orthopaedist focuses on the care of the musculoskeletal system. The musculoskeletal system provides us with the ability to move using our muscles and bones, giving form, support, stability and movement to our body.
Because the musculoskeletal system covers so much of our body, an orthopaedist treats ailments and injuries involving everything from bones, joints and ligaments to muscles, tendons and nerves. If it’s a part of your body that moves or pivots, chances are that an orthopaedist can help you with it. Some of the general musculoskeletal conditions that an orthopaedist can treat include: fractures and dislocations; sprains, strains and torn ligaments; back pain, scoliosis and ruptured disc; as well as arthritis and osteoporosis.
Many orthopaedists will choose to focus on a designated sub-specialty within orthopaedics, giving the doctors the expertise to treat more specific injuries injuries. Some examples of these sub-specialties include sports medicine, spine, shoulders, knee, foot and ankle, total joint and hand and upper extremity.
A common misconception is that orthopaedics always involves surgery. In fact, there are many conditions that can receive nonsurgical treatment. Whether or not an orthopaedist will recommend surgery depends on the particular injury, the physical history of a patient and their current activity level. Orthopaedists tailor their diagnoses and treatments based on the details of each case.
Orthopaedics is a versatile and far-reaching field of medicine. After an injury or illness, an orthopaedist can help you continue to enjoy the activities you have always participated in, like hiking and tennis, or just live a pain-reduced life.