What is Orthopedic Surgery
The term orthopedic surgery or orthopedic refers to surgeries performed to treat or repair the human musculoskeletal system.
There are several types of orthopedic surgeries. Depending on the area treated, different orthopedic procedures may be used to treat different conditions.
For example, foot and ankle surgery can be treated either by using surgical techniques such as bunionectomy or nonsurgical treatments.
Why Orthopedic surgery is done
Orthopedic surgery is done to correct problems in the musculoskeletal system. This can be due to Injuries, birth defect, disease or other musculoskeletal trauma problems.
Below are some of the conditions that can be treated using orthopedic surgery.
- Sports injuries
- Spine diseases
- Degenerative diseases
- Congenital disorders
- Infections
- Tumors
Most Common Orthopedic Surgery Procedures
There are several different types of orthopedic surgery. The problem being treated will determine the type of surgery to be used.
Knee replacement
Knee replacement surgery involves making an incision in the knee area with a problem.
Your surgeon will treat the problem and close the incision using stitches or surgical staples.
Knee replacement, also known as Knee arthroplasty is a procedure done to treat conditions such as arthritis or severe knee injury.
Hip Replacement Surgery
This procedure is used to remove a painful hip joint that has been affected by arthritis.
The affected joint removed is then replaced by an artificial one made from plastic or metal components.
Hip replacement surgery is recommended when all other pain relief treatments have failed to work.
Debridement
Debridement is a surgical procedure performed to remove a dead, damaged, infected or unhealthy tissue that has been affected to speed up healing.
Spinal Fusion
This type of surgery allows your surgeon to correct problems in the vertebrae.
It allows them to fuse two or more vertebrae to heal into one single solid bone.
Vertebrae are small bones that interlock to form the spine.
Bone Fusion
Similar to spinal fusion, bone fusion is done to join together fractured bones so that they can heal as one single bone.
Soft tissue repair
Your surgeon will be required to perform soft tissue repair to correct torn ligaments or tendons.
Osteotomy
As with knee replacement, Osteotomy is a surgical procedure conducted to children with bone deformities to correct the deformity.
This is to assist the child’s bones to grow properly at an earlier stage.
The risks of orthopedic surgery
Just like all other surgeries, orthopedic surgery carries a considerable amount of risk.
Some of the possible risks associated with orthopedic surgery include:
- Bleeding
- Infections
- Blood coagulation
- Nerve damage
- Lack of full range of motion
- Reaction to anesthesia
- Development of arthritis
- Scar formation
- Metalosis
- Re-injury of the joint or soft tissue.
How to prepare for orthopedic surgery
Your orthopedic surgeon will give you instructions on how to prepare for orthopedic surgery.
During a consultation, ensure you tell your surgeon about your medical history, list of medications and dosages you are currently taking or you have used before, copies of your medical records and any burning question or concerns about your surgery.
Finding a doctor for orthopedic surgery
Finding the right surgeon for your surgery may sometimes be stressful.
If you are looking for orthopedic surgeons with most experience performing orthopedic surgery, use our find a doctor near me search tool to get the most experienced Doctors.
You can filter the doctors based on your location, their experience, and other preferences.
Following up after brain surgery
Most surgeons do follow-ups with their patients immediately after surgery to ensure everything is working properly.
You will be given post care instructions to follow during recovery.
The recovery period for orthopedic surgery varies from one patient to another.
Depending on the type of surgical procedure done and the condition being treated, some patients may take longer time to heal than others.
Most orthopedic surgery procedures usually require an in-hospital stay for several days.
However, there are those nonsurgical surgeries where the patient will be treated and released home the same day.
The length of days which you will stay in the hospital will depend on how your body responds to the surgery.
- Patient Guide to Safe Surgery(n.d) https://orthoinfo.aaos.org/en/treatment/patient-guide-to-safe-surgery/
- Knee Replacement Surgery Procedure (n.d) https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/treatment-tests-and-therapies/knee-replacement-surgery-procedure
- Soft Tissue Injury Repair: Stages & Massage Therapy Support https://study.com/academy/lesson/soft-tissue-injury-repair-stages-massage-therapy-support.html
