Orthopedic surgery or orthopedics (also spelled orthopaedics, see below) is the branch of surgery concerned with acute, chronic, traumatic, and overuse injuries and other disorders of the musculoskeletal system. Orthopedic surgeons address most musculoskeletal ailments including arthritis, trauma and congenital deformities using both surgical and non-surgical means.

Orthopedic surgeons are physicians who have completed applied training in orthopedic surgery after the completion of medical school, either M.D. or D.O. According to the latest Occupational Outlook Handbook (2006-2007) published by the U.S. Department of Labor, between 3-4% of all practicing physicians are orthopedic surgeons.

In the United States and Canada orthopedic surgeons (also known as orthopedists) 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 admit students with as little as two years of undergraduate education), a medical degree or osteopathic degree (4 years), 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 orthopaedic surgery.

Many orthopedic surgeons elect to do further subspecialty training in programs known as 'fellowships' after completing their residency training. Fellowship training in an orthopedic subspecialty 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:

1. Hand surgery
2. Shoulder and elbow surgery
3. Total joint reconstruction (arthroplasty)
4. Pediatric orthopedics
5. Foot and ankle surgery (Not to be confused with podiatry)
6. Spine surgery (Also performed by neurosurgeons)
7. Musculoskeletal oncology
8. Surgical sports medicine
9. Orthopedic trauma

These are also the nine main sub-specialty areas of orthopedic surgery.

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