Pacific Coast Orthopaedics Institute

Orthopaedics is a surgical specialty that concentrates on treating injuries and diseases of your musculoskeletal system. Orthopaedic surgeons evaluate and treat problems of your bones, joints, ligaments, tendons, muscles and nerves of your body. These are parts of your body that help you walk, run, play, move, and work every day. Any injury or problem in your musculoskeletal system can significantly affect the way you move on a day to day basis. Your orthopaedic surgeon will be involved in the diagnosis of your injury or disorder and will recommend therapy, exercise, medications, or surgery.

Your orthopaedic surgeon is a medical doctor with comprehensive training in diagnosis and treatment of injuries and diseases of the musculoskeletal system and requires up to 14 years of formal educations, which includes the following:

Four years in a university or college.
Four years in medical school.
Five years of study in an orthopaedic residency at a major medical center
One optional year of sub-specialty education (such as, Sports Medicine
or Joint Reconstruction).

Each year, your orthopaedic surgeon continues studying and maintaining their knowledge and skills by attending continuing medical education (CME) courses designed to stay current with modern orthopaedic protocols and practices.

At your next appointment, your orthopaedic surgeon will ask many questions to obtain a history and will perform a physical examination. Other tests may be ordered as well, such as, X-rays, CAT scans, MRIs, or blood tests. This will help with diagnosis and treatment planning which may include therapy, medications, or surgery.

For more information on specific parts of the body, please click on the link to below and choose a body part.

www.orthoinfo.aaos.org