For the first time the term orthopedics (Greek. Orthod – direct, ped – child) was used by the French physician Nicholas Andri. In the 18th century, orthopedics was considered a disease related only to children. In 1973, Andri wrote the manual “Orthopedics, or the art of preventing and correcting children’s body deformations with the means available to fathers and mothers and all those people who have to raise children.” It is worth noting that in England it was believed that the word orthopedics has a different translation, from the words orthos – straight and pes – leg. Thus, it was believed that this branch of medicine deals with the treatment of foot deformity.
After some time, orthopedics ceased to be a science that deals with the elimination of pathologies in children. Now, orthopedics has also studied diseases and injuries of the musculoskeletal system in adults. Initially, orthopedics was mainly involved in the correction of pathologies of the organs of the musculoskeletal system. The treatment of diseases as such was not taken into account. Only a long time later, orthopedics began to be practiced in the treatment of injuries and diseases from the very beginning of their appearance. The possibility of complications began to be taken into account, preventive measures began to be studied. Thus, the two sciences, namely, traumatology and orthopedics, have practically merged and merged almost into one whole.
The most important characteristic linking traumatology and orthopedics together is the single task they face: the treatment of impaired functions and deformities of the organs of the musculoskeletal system. These disturbances and deformations can be the result of mechanical damage, and the result of diseases. In addition, another property that brings the two sciences together is the commonality of the methods of treatment and the technical means used in the treatment of diseases of the support and movement organs.
There is also a connection between orthopedics and general surgery. Orthopedics itself is a section of general surgery, correction of deformations of the musculoskeletal system is carried out by general surgical methods. However, do not forget that orthopedics moves in the opposite direction to general surgery. Almost from the very beginning, orthopedists do not seek surgical intervention, but use special devices and methods for treating and correcting pathologies of the musculoskeletal system.
Along with a detailed study of pathological changes in injuries and pathologies of the support and movement organs, more and more attention is paid to functional disorders. This is natural, because the main goal of the ongoing therapeutic and preventive actions is the preservation of the function of the musculoskeletal system. Traumatology and orthopedics strive to achieve this goal using all kinds of methods. This is both hardware and medical medicine, using all kinds of mechanical influences, shoes and other attributes, as well as surgical intervention.
In essence, traumatology and orthopedics are the areas of medicine that treat and diagnose diseases of the musculoskeletal system, and include all kinds of joint diseases, such as arthritis, arthrosis and osteochondrosis. There are many causes that cause these diseases. Among them are an inactive lifestyle, and the ecological situation in a city or other locality. Also, the cause of the disease can be stress, depression, neurosis, hysteria, breakdowns of mood.
As in any other field of medicine, orthopedics have their own symptoms. The main symptoms giving an occasion to consult an orthopedic specialist are pains in the neck, lower back, back, headaches. You should also contact an orthopedist in case of pain in the joints of the shoulder (this creates the feeling that the pain “gives” throughout the arm), hip (recoil to the lower leg or thigh), knee, ankle, and elbow joints. Also, an indication for a visit to an orthopedist is considered to be a decrease in movement in the joints. All these complaints are associated with one or another orthopedic disease (osteochondrosis, arthrosis, spondylarthrosis, arthritis).