What is an Orthopedic ?
Orthopedics is the field of medicine concerned with the study and treatment of the musculosketetal system, particularly the spine, joints, and muscles. Orthopedics mainly deals with correction of disorders and deformities related to the musculosketal system; hence, orthopedics is central to the treatment of back pain.
What is an Orthopaedic Surgeon?
Orthopaedic surgeons are devoted to the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of disorders of the bones, joints, ligaments, tendons and muscles.
Some orthopaedists are generalists, while others specialize in certain areas of the body, such as:
- Hip and knee
- Foot and ankle
- Shoulder and elbow
- Hand
- Spine
What does an Orthopaedic Surgeon treat?
Orthopaedic surgeons explore nonsurgical options first, such as pain medication or rehabilitation. They also have the expertise to perform surgery to repair an injury or correct a condition, if necessary.
Musculoskeletal pain is the number one reason why people visit their doctors each year.
Many people know that orthopaedic surgeons treat broken bones, and replace painful joints, but did you know that orthopaedic surgeons also treat patients for these problems?
- Sports injuries
- Back pain, ruptured disks and spinal stenosis
- Bone tumors
- Carpal tunnel, hand arthritis and hand injuries
- Club foot, bow legs and hip dysplasia
- Orthopaedic trauma
- Limb lengthening
- Achilles tendon injuries, bunions and foot and ankle injuries
- Osteoporosis
- Arthritis
How much do orthopedic surgeons make?
Generally speaking, specialists can expect to earn a higher salary than primary care physicians. This is particularly true of orthopedic surgeons. The most recent compensation report from Medscape shows that they’re among the top earners among all physicians, earning an average annual salary of $511,000 in 2021.
Like other medical doctors, orthopedic surgeons should also expect plenty of employment opportunities in the future. The greatest need for doctors is in the primary care space, but there’s a shortage of surgeons across the US as well. The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) has predicted a shortage of 14,300 to 23,400 surgical specialists by 2032. This will likely result in ample job opportunities for future orthopedic surgeons.
