You must have observed how when someone is hurt or has a persistent illness like arthritis or lower back discomfort, they frequently see orthopaedic doctors. The branch of medicine known as orthopaedics is dedicated to treating illnesses and ailments affecting the musculoskeletal system. This encompasses the:
- Muscles
- Bones
- Joints
- Tendons
- Ligaments and
- Nerves
We’ll go more into the services provided by orthopaedic doctors, the ailments they handle, and how to choose the best orthopaedic surgeon for you in this post.
What Work Do Orthopaedic Doctors Specialise In?
An orthopaedic doctor, sometimes known as an orthopaedic surgeon, specialises in treating musculoskeletal conditions. Orthopaedics was initially created to treat youngsters with debilitating illnesses. Orthopaedic doctors see patients of all ages nowadays.
Most individuals have at some time in their lives experienced joint and muscle discomfort, and many more have injuries to their muscles or bones that need to be treated by a doctor. You will probably consult an orthopaedic doctor if your injury requires specialised testing and care. Their responsibilities consist of:
identifying and treating musculoskeletal issues supporting your recovery after an injury or surgery, allowing you to restore mobility, strength, full range of motion, and mobility.
Developing plans to avoid injuries or to stop long-term illnesses like arthritis from getting worse. Despite their comprehensive knowledge of the musculoskeletal system, orthopaedic doctors may elect to pursue additional specialisations. The following are a few orthopaedic subspecialties:
- Hips and knees
- Spine
- Hands
- Elbows and Shoulders
- Ankles and feet
- Sports medicine
- Trauma Surgery
- Joint replacement such as surgical knee replacement
What Kinds Of Conditions Are Treated By Orthopaedic Doctors?
Many problems are treated by ortho surgeons, including but not limited to the following:
Bone breakage
Back, joint, or muscle strains
Arthritis
Carpal tunnel syndrome
Limb anomalies, such as clubfoot and bowlegs;
Bone cancer; injuries to tendons or ligaments, such as sprains, tendonitis, and ACL tears
What Kinds Of Procedures Do They Perform?
For the conditions that they treat, orthopaedic doctors suggest a range of interventions and therapies.
Let’s take a closer look at a few of them below.
Non-surgical Interventions
Conservative therapies are another name for these kinds of care. Often, an orthopaedic surgeon may offer nonsurgical therapy before moving on to surgical options.
Among the nonsurgical therapy options are:
- Exercise & Workouts: Orthopaedic doctors could suggest certain stretches or workouts to help you preserve or enhance your range of motion, flexibility, and strength in a particular region.
- Immobilization: On occasion, avoiding further stress on a region might aid in its healing. Techniques for immobilisation include casts, splints, and braces.
- Medicines: To aid with issues like pain and swelling, your orthopaedic doctors could suggest using specific drugs. A few instances include over-the-counter drugs like aspirin and ibuprofen. Additionally, they could recommend certain prescription medications, such as corticosteroids and analgesics.
- Lifestyle changes. You could get assistance from your orthopaedic doctor in altering your way of living. To avoid making an injury or condition worse, they may include making changes to your nutrition, level of physical activity, and method of exercise.
Surgical Interventions
Conservative treatment may not always result in the improvement of an illness or injury. In certain situations, your physician could advise surgery. The following are a few instances of procedures ortho surgeons could undertake:
- Joint Replacement: Replacing damaged or diseased joint components—most often as a result of arthritis—requires joint replacement surgery. Hip and knee replacement or surgical knee replacement surgery are a few examples.
- Internal Fixations: To assist keep fractured bones in place as they heal, internal fixation includes putting hardware such as rods, screws, plates, and pins in the right places.
- Fusion: To join two bones together, bone graft material and an internal fixation technique are used. The bone tissue merges into a single bone when it heals. This method is frequently applied in spine and neck surgeries.
- Osteotomy: An osteotomy is a surgical procedure in which a portion of a bone is cut and subsequently repositioned. Arthritis may occasionally be treated with this kind of surgery.
- Soft tissue restoration. An orthopaedic surgeon performs this type of surgery to restore severely injured tendons, ligaments, or muscles.
- Release procedures. This kind of surgery is used to treat carpal tunnel syndrome. By releasing pressure from the median nerve, aids in symptom relief.
Why Consult an Orthopaedic Doctor/Surgeon
One of the main reasons patients visit orthopaedic doctors is for persistent discomfort.
You may see an orthopaedic doctor due to:
- There is a discernible reduction in the range of motion.
- Walking is impossible without pain or suffering.
- You suffer from hip or knee arthritis, either moderate or severe.
- You have increasing hip or knee discomfort that gets worse as you stand.
- Your pain and suffering interfere with your day-to-day activities.
- You have persistent discomfort that lasts longer than 12 weeks.
- After many days, your soft tissue damage has not healed.
Are you unsure if it’s better to see your regular doctor first or an orthopaedic surgeon directly? You should consult an orthopaedic doctor right away if you think you may have suffered an accident or repeated movement injury to a bone, joint, tendon, or nerve. If not, you can visit your usual physician. After evaluating your symptoms, they may recommend that you see an orthopaedic surgeon.
Takeaway
Doctors who specialise in orthopaedics, commonly known as ortho surgeons, treat conditions and injuries affecting ligaments, tendons, muscles, and bones. These comprise ailments such as bone cancer, scoliosis, hip dysplasia, arthritis, back discomfort, and sports injuries. Both surgical and nonsurgical therapies are available from them. An orthopedist is someone you should think about seeing if you have joint discomfort, inflammation, or trouble moving.
If you’re looking for the best orthopaedic surgeon to get your musculoskeletal health checked, look no further than Dr Siddharth Aggrawal, the esteemed arthroscopist and sports surgeon at Golden Clinics. Whether you need precise and compassionate therapy for joint problems or are recuperating from a sports injury, Dr Aggrawal offers comprehensive care.
Make an appointment for your consultation right now to get individualised care catered to your particular needs. Get in touch to begin your journey towards ideal musculoskeletal health. Allow Dr. Aggrawal to assist you in achieving your best performance and recuperation.