Home Health What Conditions Do Orthopedic Doctors Treat? – 2024 Guide

What Conditions Do Orthopedic Doctors Treat? – 2024 Guide

by Izabelle Morris

There is a lot of confusion in the general masses regarding the actual nature of work of orthopedic doctors. Some say that they only work on bones while others are of the belief that they work on specific muscle groups only. In reality, both of these things are true – orthopedic doctors are specialists who specialize in treating disorders regarding the skeleton of the human body, and the various muscles, joints, and tendons attached to it.

Orthopedics is a very interesting field and if you wish to know more about orthopedic doctors, their nature of work and what they do then you can learn more about them here. Regardless, many people aren’t aware of the various chronic and short-term conditions that orthopedics usually work on. Knowing these conditions is essential because only then you will understand if you have the need of an orthopedic or not.

That’s why in this article we’ll talk about the various conditions that these doctors treat. This can save you a potential trip to your family doctor and also save you some money and time. However, it is vital that you understand that this article only serves as a reference for medical conditions and should not be taken as professional medical advice. If the nature of your condition is still majorly unknown to you, you should communicate with your doctor to figure out a solution.

Areas orthopedic doctors work on

img source: advancedboneandjoint.com

Before we start with the actual conditions that you should look out for, it is essential that you know which areas fall under the immediate concern of an orthopedic doctor. For example, if you have weak bones then it’s the job of an orthopedic doctor to treat you and strengthen you. On the other hand, if you feel weak in general, especially in your limbs because of your field of work, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you need an orthopedic.

In fact, a normal medical practitioner or a dietician would be more of an ideal solution in such cases and if they determine that your problems arise from an orthopedic enquiry, then you will be consulted to visit an orthopedic doctor. Knowing their areas of work beforehand would give you an insight and also make you more aware of your own body.

The areas orthopedic doctors specialize and work on are

  • The musculoskeletal system in your back – especially your spine.
  • Limbs and all the musculoskeletal areas inside them.
  • The various joints in your body.
  • Any traumatic injury from a physically shocking event.
  • Sport injuries.
  • Proper rehabilitation for your orthopedic injuries so that you can live normally as before.
  • Disallowing your already chronic conditions from escalating further and posing a threat to your body.

As you can apparently see, orthopedic doctors work on a vast number of conditions and areas of the human body. Their job, like most medical specialists, requires specialization of multiple areas in the body. That being said, let’s move on to the various conditions orthopedic doctors are known to treat –

Arthritis

img source: homage.sg

Arthritis is one of the most common conditions in the age group of older 60+ people. It’s symptoms consist of – swelling of joints making them stiff and unmovable, joint pain, and a constant ache in the area. In some cases the pain becomes unbearable and requires surgery and extensive medical attention.

This can only be provided by an orthopedic doctor who has experience dealing with this condition. The sooner you treat arthritis by an orthopedic doctor, the more manageable your pain would be in your later years.

Osteoporosis

The bones in our body, contrary to popular belief, don’t stay the same even when our body is fully developed. They undergo constant change by creating new bone material which replaces the pre-existing bone formation. This is a fundamental process of our body to ensure any weak spots in our bones get fully healed.

But what happens when your bones keep removing old bone formations and matter but your bone creation system is not able to keep up with it? Your bones become brittle and weak to the point that even a normal fall can cause fractures and extensive damage. This condition is called osteoporosis and orthopedic doctors are known to treat it extensively via introducing a new diet, better nutrition and exercises that improve your bones.

Major and minor fractures

img source: os.clinic

Everyone is aware of what fractures are and most people have also gotten one at some point of their life. Fractures render the usage and normal function of the fractured part impossible. They require immediate attention and a lot of time to heal back.

Orthopedic doctors speed up the healing process considerably and in the right way, to ensure proper bone growth. If needed, they can even supply metallic rods or joint replacements that support your body’s recovery.

Muscular strains

When you overstretch a muscle or a tendon beyond its physical limit, it can have very adverse and serious consequences. One of these consequences, and the most common one, is muscle strain. Muscle strain can cause the affected muscles to swell up, get spasms and ache a lot. These often occur with athletes and those who do vigorous physical exercise.

These strains limit your mobility and only an orthopedic doctor can retain their condition as well as their mobility back to them.

Bone cancer and tumor

img source: medicalnewstoday.com

Bone tumors are considered to be the most harmless form of tumors as they usually aren’t cancerous in nature. Most of the time people aren’t even aware that they have a bone tumor until it comes out in an official scan by accident. This tumor generally occurs from improper bone healing, as an indirect consequence of radiation therapy, or as the result of another cancer that has infected the body.

Whatever the cause may be, bone tumors can lead to bone cancer and in some cases even be lethal. If they don’t go away by themselves, orthopedic doctors perform surgery on them and various therapies to get rid of the cancer.

Conclusion

There are various medical conditions that an orthopedic doctor can resolve and help you with. We hope this article was insightful for you and if it was, please consider following our website with regular updates as it will help us out immensely.

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