Top Orthopedics Specialist in South Africa

Types of Orthopaedic Doctors

Orthopaedic doctors can be categorized into three types depending on the nature of procedures they perform.

• Orthopaedic Surgeon
• Pediatric Orthopaedic Surgeon
• Sports Medicine Specialist

About Orthopaedic Surgeon

An Orthopaedic surgeon, or orthopaedic surgeon, is a surgeon who is specialized in the diagnosis, pre-operative, operative and post-operative treatment of diseases and injuries of the musculoskeletal system.

Orthopaedics is the branch of surgery dealing with the conditions involving the musculoskeletal system. Orthopaedic surgeons use surgical as well as nonsurgical means to treat musculoskeletal trauma, sports injuries, spine diseases, degenerative diseases, infections, tumors and congenital disorders.

Orthopaedic surgeons work closely with other healthcare professionals like pediatrician, sports medicine specialist etc.

Below are major roles of an Orthopaedic surgeon:

• Diagnosis of your injury or disorder
• Medication, exercise, casting, surgery and/ or other options
• Patient rehabilitation by recommending exercises or physical therapy to restore movement, strength and function
• Prevention with information and treatment plans to prevent any future injury or slow the progression of disease

Procedures Performed by Orthopaedic Surgeons in South Africa

• Musculoskeletal pain
• Sports injuries
• Back pain, ruptured disks and spinal stenosis
• Bone tumors
• Carpal tunnel, hand arthritis and hand injuries
• Club foot, bow legs and hip dysplasia
• Orthopaedic trauma
• Limb lengthening
• Achilles tendon injuries, bunions and foot and ankle injuries
• Osteoporosis
• Arthritis

About Pediatric Orthopaedic Surgeon

Pediatric orthopaedic surgeon is a doctor who specialises in diagnosing, treating and managing the mucoskeletal problems in infants, children and young adults. Mucoskeletal problems involve the problems, disorders and conditions dealing with bone, joint or muscle. Some of the common muco skeletal problems for which you can visit pediatricOrthopaedic surgeons are limb and spine deformities (eg scoliosis, pigeon foot, clubfoot), abnormal posture, limping, bone and joint infections or for the treatment of broken bones.

Procedures Performed by Pediatric Orthopaedic Surgeon in South Africa

• Minimally Invasive Surgery
• Joint Replacement Procedures
• Revision Joint Surgery
• Debridement
• Bone Fusion
• Spinal Fusion
• Soft tissue repair
• Internal fixation of bones
• Osteotomy
• Bone fracture repair

About Sports Medicine Specialist

A Sports Medicine specialist is a physician specialized in the prevention, treatment and injury caused by sports illness and injury. He helps in increasing the functioning, minimizing disability and helping in not losing time away from sports, work, or school.

Sports medicine is not a separate medical speciality. A sports medicine specialist is usually a doctor certified in a certain speciality like Orthopaedics, paediatrics, emergency medicine etc. followed by an additional training for the treatment and management of any sports injuries. For instance:

• Physical Therapists: Helps in rehabilitation of people and their recovery.
• Certified Athletic Trainers: Povide a rehabilitative exercise regime helping patients to regain strength and develop conditioning programs to prevent future injury.
• Nutritionists: Assists in weight loss or weight gain and provides dietary plan or advice to help improve the physical functioning and recovery.

If you have come across any injury while playing sports, riding bicycle, running or performing any other vigorous activity, then it is advised to visit a sports medicine specialist.

Below are the major job roles commonly performed by a sports medicine specialist:

• Diagnosing and treating athletic injuries
• Developing treatment and rehabilitation strategies
• Consultation and checkup sessions with patients to monitor the recovery progress
• Prescribing medication and best practices for the treatment and progress

Procedures Performed by Sports Medicine Specialist in South Africa

Some of the injuries treated by a sports medicine doctors are:

• Ankle sprains
• Fractures
• Knee and shoulder injuries
• Tendonitis
• Exercise-induced asthma
• Heat illness
• Concussions
• Eating disorders
• Cartilage injuries