Orthopedic surgery deals with skeleton and muscles in the body. It may involve non-surgical approaches.

Here are the most common orthopedic surgeries:

• Total joint replacement: joint replacement is carried out for patients who were previously diagnosed with severe arthritis and are seeking relief from pain. As part of the surgery, surgeons evaluate damage to the joints which can happen in many joints and substitute it with plastic and metal surfaces, which are shaped naturally to restore movement of the joints like knee and enable its natural function.

• Total shoulder replacement: This surgery will help patients feel better after some time, reducing pain felt in a joint such as the shoulder. In this procedure, damaged portions of cartilage and bone are replaced with plastic or metal implant. Similar to other types of replacement surgeries, it improves the scope of motion at the shoulder joint. This procedure can be carried out by best orthopedic surgeons in India.
• Spine surgery: The spine gives balance. It also absorbs shock, allowing the body to twist and bend. Spine surgery is common with patients, who experience daily back pain which interferes with their daily routine. The doctor will provide a physical assessment to identify the problem area and decide on the treatment required by the spine. Patients suffering from neck pain are commonly treated with spinal fusions.

The procedure of spinal fusion consists of the joining together of vertebrae. This procedure restricts the motion between spinal bones and puts a limit on the stretching of nerves.

• ACL reconstruction: ACL is the Anterior Cruciate Ligament, which is the most important ligament for stabilizing the knee. This ligament may be ruptured, during sporting activity or wrongly twisting the knee.

As part of this procedure, the torn ligament will be removed by the surgeon, by using the tissue of the patient or a donor to create a new ACL. Next, the surgeon will fix the new ligament to the bone, using screws or other devices to keep it in position. Even as your knee is healing, the bone tunnels made by the surgeon to bring in new tissue will begin filling in, to secure the new ligament.

Orthopedic surgeries are also classified into 2 variations: Trauma surgery and Cold surgery.

• Trauma Surgery: It reconstructs or repairs musculoskeletal structures such as tendons, bones, nerves, ligaments and blood vessels that have been damaged. Trauma surgeries are carried out within time limits. This may be a few hours (injury to blood vessels and nerves) or a week (ankle or knee fractures). In this type of surgery, there is not much scope for a second or a third opinion.

Complicated trauma surgery may need the services of other surgeons like general surgeon, neurosurgeon and plastic surgeon.

• Cold Surgery: It corrects non-traumatic conditions like infection, arthritis or tumor surgery. Most cold surgeries are arranged according to the convenience of the patient and the surgeon. This enables time for optimization of patient health, prior to procedure. This surgery is elective in nature and patients can seek second opinions whether to delay it or undergo it. Most common examples are knee replacement surgery and hip replacement surgery. These are common procedures conducted by orthopedic surgeon in India.

These are some of the common orthopedic surgeries.