Orthopaedics is the branch of medicine related to the study and treatment of disorders of bones, joints and other parts of the skeletal system like muscles, ligaments etc.
The most common orthopaedic related problems are back pain, knee pain, fractures of bones and ligament sprains amongst others.
If you have been in any kind of an accident or fall leading to an injury with swelling
and pain you should immediately head to the emergency department of a hospital. After the emergency doctors have seen you, usually an orthopaedic surgeon is called to check if there are any fractures or ligament sprains. In this
scenario you will usually be required to get x-rays or an MRI or CT scan depending on which part of the body is suspected to have been injured.
Ankle twists are the most common type of orthopaedic injury.
This usually is very painful and is associated with quite a lot of swelling around the ankle. This could either be a fracture or a severe ankle ligament sprain. Either way, the first step for treatment is to diagnose the injury with an x-ray. The next step is to immobilise the joint with a plaster at the ER (Emergency Room) – either a P.O.P. slab or cast. Medicines will be started to reduce pain and swelling. The patient is given strict instructions to not put weight on the limb for several weeks and keep the limb elevated. If the diagnosis is of a severe, displaced fracture a surgical procedure may be required to achieve proper bone healing – this decision is made after seeing the x-ray. Likewise, fractures of other bones also do occur, usually after road traffic accidents. Immediate treatment at the ER and X-rays are mandatory to diagnose the fracture and then to decide whether it can be treated conservatively (without surgery) or requires surgery for the proper healing.
Surgical treatment is required when the fractured bone fragments are displaced away from each other and from their original position and when the fracture is next to a joint (like near the wrist or knee). Surgeries for fractures usually involve bringing the bone fragments back to normal position and holding them in place with screws or plates. These procedures give better chance of healing in proper position and faster than without surgery.