WHAT DOES AN ORTHOPAEDIC SURGEON DO? DO THEY TREAT CHILDREN AND ADULTS?
I understand your confusion. On the surface the word orthopedic would seem to indicate that orthopedics surgery is a surgical specialty that only treats children. It would seem so since the word orthopedic comes from the Greek words “orthos” meaning straight, and “pais” referring to children. However, the field is focused on treating all musculoskeletal conditions, for both adults and children. The word orthopedics is credited to Nicholas Andry, who in 1741 wrote a book called “L’Orthopedie, ou de Prevenir et de Corriger Dans les Enfants, les Difformits du Corps” (Orthopaedia, or the Art of Correcting and Preventing Deformities in Children). This book described the diagnosis and treatment of childhood musculoskeletal disorders such as polio, scoliosis and fractures. So early on orthopedics was focused on treating mainly childhood musculoskeletal diseases but has since then grown to cover the full spectrum of musculoskeletal disorders for both adults and children. Initially surgical tre
