orthopedics & traumatology
Orthopedics is a surgical specialty that deals with the diagnosis and medical and surgical management of diseases of the musculoskeletal system, i.e., bones, joints, ligaments, muscles, tendons, and nerves. This is referred to as orthopedic surgery.
Many conditions fall within the field of orthopedic surgery, including:
Fractures.
Dislocations.
Herniated discs.
Bone tumors.
Growth abnormalities, such as scoliosis or kyphosis.
Or sequelae of infectious or inflammatory diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis.
Some people are more at risk for musculoskeletal conditions. Here are some recognized risk factors:
Age, the occurrence of musculoskeletal diseases increasing with aging.
Gender, women being more affected by osteoporosis than men.
Practicing a high-risk sport (such as sliding sports).
Sedentary lifestyle.
Overweight, obesity.
Or genetics.
The role of the orthopedic surgeon is to ensure the functional correction of the locomotor system. To do this, they intervene at different stages:
Pre-operative assessment, in particular to plan the extent of the intervention;
The operation itself (repair of fractures, replacement of painful joints with artificial joints, or correction of a malformation);
Post-operative follow-up.
Traumatology is the medical specialty dedicated to physical trauma, i.e., blows, injuries, or shocks suffered violently and suddenly.
Traumatology is linked to orthopedic surgery and traumatological surgery, since serious injuries fall under surgery. It can also fall under emergency medicine, as many trauma patients enter the hospital through this route.
Potential sources of trauma include, among others, according to ICD10 (international classification of diseases):
Drowning.
Other accidents affecting breathing.
Exposure to electric current.
Exposure to smoke and flames.
Exposure to forces of nature.
Injuries.
Assaults.
Acts of war.
Complications of medical and surgical care.
Among the injuries managed in traumatology, let us mention, non-exhaustively:
Fractures (the entire skeleton can be affected).
Wounds of all kinds or penetrating trauma (cuts, lacerations, piercings, gunshot or stab wounds...).
Traumatic amputation.
Burns.
Head trauma.
Shocks (blunt trauma).
Sprains, dislocations (especially the shoulder), strains of joints and ligaments.
Muscle injuries (strain or elongation, for example, mainly affecting the lower limbs).
Injuries to nerves and/or blood vessels.
Traumatic injuries to internal organs.
Seriously injured patients are generally treated as emergencies in a hospital center:
The traumatologist questions their patient (if conscious) to assess the type of injury, the circumstances of occurrence, and the severity.
In addition to the nature of the trauma and its severity, the traumatologist will also want to know: the location of the accident (home, work, road) - the activity involved (professional, recreational, sports) - the mechanism involved (fall, burn, bite, shock...) - the intent (intentional or not).
Once the diagnosis is made, a management plan will be proposed. It can be surgical or involve immobilization (cast or not): cast immobilization can also be a complement to surgical intervention - in the most serious cases (amputation, disfigurement, severe burns...), follow-up in plastic and reconstructive surgery may be set up - if the trauma is accompanied by psychological sequelae, appropriate management should also be considered.