Your bones, joints, ligaments, tendons, and muscles make up your musculoskeletal system. It is common to have pain in these parts of your body because they play such an important part in everyday movement.

Orthopedics is the medical field devoted to treating these areas. An orthopedic surgeon or orthopedic doctor (also called an orthopedist) is a doctor who specializes in this field. They can perform surgery, but they're also qualified to diagnose and treat issues using other techniques.

Orthopedics is a vast field, so most orthopedic doctors specialize in a particular type of orthopedics. For example, some of the most common specialties within orthopedics are hand, foot, and sports injuries.

Orthopedists are specialists. Typically, you see an orthopedist after your primary care doctor refers you. Your primary care doctor can let you know what type of orthopedist you need to see for your issue.

What Does an Orthopedic Surgeon Do?

An orthopedic surgeon is qualified to diagnose orthopedic problems, perform or prescribe treatments, and assist with rehabilitation. They can also help you develop long-term strategies to treat illnesses, disorders, and issues relating to your bones, joints, ligaments, tendons, and muscles.

There are a broad range of procedures, including ankle, knee, hip, spinal, hand, and neck surgeries that this type of doctor can perform. Typically, they’ll attempt to treat an issue in the most holistic and least intrusive way possible, which may not be surgery.