Each year it is customary to visit different medical care physicians for routine checkups. These doctors and nurses are given the task of doing preventative medicine to avoid larger, dangerous, and more costly procedures down the road. On the other hand, there are some specialty practitioners that a person only sees in the event that one of those first-line physicians cannot provide adequate treatment or figure out the underlying problem. An orthopedic surgeon is one of those specialty practitioners.
While you would never just call up and make an appointment for these types of Surgical Services, this physician still has quite an important job. An orthopedic surgeon specializes in musculoskeletal disease and injury-;essentially any issues that interferes with the body’s ability to move and be active. For instance, at Missouri Delta Medical Center they usually see patients through referrals from general practitioners or internal medicine. These doctors may troubleshoot a patient’s presenting problem and decide that they need higher level Surgical Services from an advanced practice doctor. Usually, the major problems that lead to an orthopedics referral involve pain or injury in the knee, back, or shoulder.
When you receive an appointment with an orthopedic specialist he or she will perform an examination and take into consideration your previous medical history and the conclusions of the other doctors to decide on a course of action relating to treatment. The course of action will depend on the severity of the injury or disease but may encompass approaches such as a customized exercise plan, bed rest, physical therapy, prescribed medications or surgical procedures.
Some of the most common reasons people come into the office of an orthopedic surgeon are for:
1. Carpal tunnel
2. Arthroscopy
3. Hip pain
4. Deformed fingers or toes
5. Torn ligaments
6. Surgical insertion of pins or rods to hold bones in place
7. Knee replacement
8. Lumbar spinal fusion
9. Fracture repair
10. Rotor cuff tendon repair
These highly trained physicians typically complete four years of medical school in addition to a five-year residency assignment in orthopedic surgery. These kinds of surgeons may also receive advanced training in a number of subspecialties or other areas of interest.
