Orthopedic surgery or orthopedics (also spelled orthopaedics) is the branch of surgery concerned with injuries to, or conditions involving, the musculoskeletal system. Orthopedic surgeons address most muscle injuries that require surgery, and some are also skilled at dealing with congenital conditions that result in orthopedic deformities, such as spastic cerebral palsy, using both surgical and non-surgical means.

Nicholas Andry coined the word "orthopaedics", derived from Greek words for orthos ("correct", "straight") and paideia ("rearing" (usually of child)), in 1741, when at the age of 81 he published Orthopaedia: or the Art of Correcting and Preventing Deformities in Children.

In the US the spelling orthopedics is standard^{[citation needed]}, although the majority of university and residency programs^{[citation needed]}, and even the AAOS, still use Andry's spelling. Elsewhere, usage is not uniform; in Canada, both spellings are common; orthopaedics usually prevails in the rest of the Commonwealth, especially in Britain.

 

In the United States and Canada, orthopedic surgeons are physicians who have completed applied training in orthopedic surgery after the completion of medical school and attainment of the conventional (MD, MBBS, MBChB, etc) or osteopathic (DO) degree. According to the latest Occupational Outlook Handbook (2006–2007) published by the US Department of Labor, between 3–4% of all practicing physicians are orthopedic surgeons.

Orthopedic surgeons complete a minimum of 10 years of postsecondary education and clinical training. In the majority of cases this training includes obtaining an undergraduate degree (a few medical schools will however admit students with as little as two years of previous undergraduate education), either an MD MBBS, MBChB, etc or osteopathic (DO) degree, and then completing a five-year residency in orthopedic surgery. The five-year residency consists of one year of general surgery training followed by four years of training in orthopedic surgery.

After completion of specialty residency/registrar training, an orthopedic surgeon is then eligible for board in the United States. In Canada it leads to eligibility for Certification by and Fellowship of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. In Australia and New Zealand it leads to eligibility for Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons.

Many orthopedic surgeons elect to do further subspecialty training in programs known as 'fellowships' after completing their residency training. Fellowship training in an orthopedic subspeciality is typically one year in duration (sometimes two) and usually has a research component involved with the clinical and operative training. Examples of orthopedic subspecialty training in the US are:

• Hand surgery (also performed by Plastic and General Surgeons)
• Shoulder and elbow surgery
• Total joint reconstruction (arthroplasty)
• Pediatric orthopedics
• Foot and ankle surgery (Also performed by podiatric surgeons)
  
   
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