What are the most common orthopedic surgeries?

- answered by Staff at Marina Del Rey Hospital on 21st November 2016

Orthopedic surgeons can treat a wide variety of musculoskeletal problems. The most frequently performed orthopedic surgeries are knee replacement, hip replacement, shoulder replacement, carpal tunnel release, spine surgery and joint replacement surgery.

Orthopedic surgery is a treatment procedure performed on the musculoskeletal system in case of injuries or various conditions. The musculoskeletal system includes the bones, the joints and the following adjacent soft tissues: muscles (which protect and allow movement of bones and joints), ligaments (which connect the bones) and tendons (which connect the muscles to bones).

The majority of orthopedic surgeries are performed on the ankle, knee, hip, wrist, elbow, shoulder and spine.

These interventions can be performed either traditionally, by open surgery, or arthroscopically, using an arthroscope.

The most common orthopedic surgical procedures are the following:

Arthroscopy, employed to treat problems occurring inside the joint using an arthroscope.
Soft tissue repair, for torn ligaments and tendons.
Joint replacement, in which a damaged joint is replaced with a prosthesis.
Revision joint surgery, in which a preexistent implant is changed with a new one.
Bone fracture repair with internal fixation, performed when broken pieces of bone are repositioned using metal plates, screws or pins.
Debridement, during which damaged soft tissues or bones are removed.
Fusion of bones, in which bones are fused with grafts.
Spine fusion, during which the spinal bones (vertebrae) are joined together.
Osteotomy, aimed at correcting bone deformities.