Welcome to September’s 1st edition! Read on below to learn what it takes to become an orthopedist and about orthopedic surgery!
Orthopedics: Introducing Orthopedics and the Journey to Become an Orthopedist
By: Shania Ali
Orthopedics is a branch of medicine that involves the musculoskeletal system and it’s interconnecting parts. These parts can include; bones, muscle, ligaments, joints, tendons, and nerves, and these allow a person to move and function. It is a medical speciality that focuses on skeletal deformities.
People who specialize in Orthopedics are called Orthopedists and/or Orthopedic surgeons. Their role is to treat and prevent skeletal and muscular deformities. They are involved in all aspects of healthcare in relation to the musculoskeletal system. Some aspects include; fractures and dislocations, low back pain, torn ligaments, pulled muscles, and arthritis. Not only do Orthopedists use medical treatments, like surgery, to treat deformity of the skeletal system, they also use physical and rehabilitative methods, also known as, non surgical treatments.
If one is planning on deciding Orthopedics as their career path, they have the opportunity to specialize in a particular orthopedic practice. Some of these practices or “subspecialities” are; foot and ankle, pediatric orthopedics, sports medicine, and hand and upper extremity. Some subspecialties that mainly focus on surgery include; spine surgery, trauma surgery, and joint replacement surgery.
To begin the journey of becoming an Orthopedist and/or Orthopedic surgeon, the first step is to complete a bachelor’s degree in pre-medicine, or the hard sciences. The undergraduate classwork should include, biology, chemistry, physics, physiology, and anatomy. These courses will help prepare you for the MCAT, a standardized examination test that medical schools require. Next step is to complete four years of medical school. Getting admission at a Medical school is highly competitive, so building up your resume with many volunteer experience at a clinic will boost up your chances. The first two years of medical school will consist of you being in laboratories and classrooms while studying pharmacology, anatomy, medical ethics and laws and physiology. The last two years will consist of hands-on experience while completing rotations with experienced doctors at hospitals or clinics. After completing medical school, the next step is to take the “United States Medical Licensing Examination” exam. Once this exam is passed, you will complete a five year Orthopedic residency program in order to get certified by the American Board of Orthopedic Surgery. The last step is to complete a six month-one year fellowship, which is to learn more about your speciality.
Overall, the expected career path to become an Orthopedic surgeon and/or Orthopedist can take around fourteen years.
Orthopedics: Surgery
By: Manisha Asrani
We all know someone who has been hindered by bone, muscle or joint pain. Musculoskeletal conditions and pain can affect people at any time and any age and disrupt their quality of life. However, anyone, including children with scoliosis and people with traumatic injuries requiring limb-saving surgery, can benefit from the expertise of an orthopedic surgeon. There are several treatment options that help people lead happier and more productive lives.
Orthopedic surgery or orthopedic is the branch of surgery concerned with conditions involving the musculoskeletal system.There are many different fellowships of orthopedic surgery, including hand surgery, orthopedic trauma, musculoskeletal oncology, and orthopedic sport medicine.
The most common type of orthopedic surgery is ACL Reconstruction. ACL stands for Anterior Cruciate Ligament, and it is one of the major ligaments in the knee. It is located diagonally in the front of the knees and provides stability when one rotates their legs. During surgery, the orthopedic surgeon will take a portion of a tendon from another part of your body and use it as a graft to replace the torn ACL. It usually takes 6-9 months for one to return to full activity after a surgery.
Other common surgeries that orthopedic surgeons perform are to replace the knees and shoulders. Depending on the severity of the injury, a patient may need either a partial or total knee replacement surgery. Regardless of the severity, knee injuries are caused by cartilage damage to the knee joints, which makes movement restricted and painful. When a person undergoes a total knee replacement, the entire damaged knee joint is removed and replaced with metal components. During partial knee replacement, only the damaged portion of the knee will be replaced. In shoulder replacement surgery, the surgeon removes the top portion of the humerus (upper arm bone) and replaces it with a metal ball. Then, the surgeon also removes the damaged portion of the socket and replaces it with a plastic prosthesis. The rotator cuff (the tendons and ligaments in the shoulder) will then hold everything in place. If the rotator cuff is also injured, the surgeon will perform a reverse shoulder replacement, placing the metal ball in the socket and the plastic prosthesis on top of the humerus, and both are held in place by screws and plates.
Overall, orthopedics is a very diverse branch in medicine, and with over 200 bones in a human body, it is a very necessary profession.
Works Cited:
Ortho intro:
https://study.com/articles/How_to_Become_an_Orthopedic_Surgeon_Step-by-Step_Career_Guide.html
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/what-is-orthopedics
https://www.perimeterortho.com/contents/patient-information/what-is-orthopaedics
Surgery:
“Orthopedic Surgery.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 5 Nov.
2019, www.mayoclinic.org/departments-centers/orthopedic-surgery/sections/overvie w/ovc-20126754.
“The Top 10 Most Common Orthopedic Surgeries.” The Orthopedic Clinic, 19 Aug. 2019,
orthotoc.com/common-orthopedic-surgeries/.
Medical Wonders 