Orthopaedics
Orthopaedics is a specialisation that focuses on injuries, deformities, and ailments of the body’s musculoskeletal system. The musculoskeletal system, which comprises all bones, joints, ligaments, tendons, muscles, and nerves, allows mobility in every activity that helps one to move, work, and be active.
Orthopaedics adopts both surgical and nonsurgical options for the treatment of
Musculoskeletal trauma: This would include chronic low back pain, neck pain, and the pain associated with osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, as well as sprained muscles, pain associated with fractures, shoulder pain, and others.
Spine diseases: Spine-related conditions include:
Tumour’s, Spinal stenosis. Herniated discs. Abscess, hematoma, vertebral fractures, and degenerative disc disease.
Sports injuries: sports injuries refer to the injuries that most commonly occur during various sports or exercises. However, they are not limited to sportspeople but also affect others due to their strenuous physical involvement in their professional activities, although they may not participate in sports.
Degenerative diseases: Degenerative joint disease, also referred to as osteoarthritis, is a condition of common “wear and tear” of joints. The primary cause of this condition is generally a chronic repetitive motion that results in inflammation and structural joint damage, with symptoms of pain, redness, and swelling.
Infections: A surgery or a general injury often gives rise to infections of the skin and other soft tissue. This infection can, at times, further lead to infection of bones (osteomyelitis) and joints (septic arthritis). In the absence of timely treatment, these become chronic.
As such, even a minor injury like a scratch can pose a potential risk of permanently disabling a person’s limb.
Tumour’s: Tumours are groups of abnormal cells that form lumps or growths. The source of this could be one of the many cells in our bodies. They grow and exhibit varied behaviour, depending on whether they are malignant (cancerous), benign (non-cancerous), or precancerous.
Bone tumours develop when cells within a bone divide uncontrollably, forming a lump or mass of abnormal tissue.
The various tumours in adults are:
- Chondrosarcomas
- Osteosarcomas
- Chordomas
- Ewing tumours.
- Fibrosarcoma’s.
Congenital disorders:
Congenital disorders are structural or functional anomalies that develop prenatally and may be identified before, at birth, or later in life.
- Cerebral palsy
- Muscular dystrophy
- Osteogenesis imperfecta (“brittle bone disease”)
- Skeletal dysplasia’s (affects bone development and stature)
- Spina bifida