Treatment

1. Your Doctor’s Visit

Your orthopaedic surgeon will take a history of your illness or injury and then do a physical examination. This may be followed by diagnostic studies such as x-rays or blood tests.

He or she will then discuss your diagnosis and help you select the best treatment plan so that you can live an active and functional life.

2. Nonsurgical Treatment

Orthopaedic surgeons treat many musculoskeletal conditions without surgery—by using medication, exercise and other rehabilitative or alternative therapies.

For most orthopaedic diseases and injuries there is more than one form of treatment. If necessary, your orthopaedic surgeon may recommend surgery if you do not respond to nonsurgical treatments.

3. Surgical Treatment

Orthopaedic surgeons perform numerous types of surgeries. Common procedures include:

• Arthroscopy—a procedure that uses special cameras and equipment to visualize, diagnose and treat problems inside a joint.
• Fusion—a “welding” process by which bones are fused together with bone grafts and internal devices (such as metal rods) to heal into a single solid bone.
• Internal fixation—a method to hold the broken pieces of bone in proper position with metal plates, pins or screws while the bone is healing.
• Joint replacement (partial, total and revision)—when an arthritic or damaged joint is removed and replaced with an artificial joint called a prosthesis.
• Osteotomy—the correction of bone deformity by cutting and repositioning the bone.
• Soft tissue repair—the mending of soft tissue, such as torn tendons or ligaments.