Orthopaedic medicine (or musculo-skeletal medicine) focuses on soft tissue musculo-skeletal problems of a mechanical or degenerative origin.
Orthopaedic medicine provides the active treatment of choice for conditions such as backache, neck pain, sciatica, frozen shoulder, tenosynovitis, tennis elbow, trigger finger, bursitis, strains and sprains and early osteoarthritis of, say, hip or knee joint. The majority of patients with these conditions do not need an operation. They need a specialist in non-surgical treatment.
Accurate diagnosis after careful examination is fundamental to the approach of the orthopaedic physician. Localisation is not easy as pain is usually referred, psychosomatic factors may play a part and localised tenderness and even imaging techniques can be misleading. Therapeutic methods include manipulation, injection techniques, posture correction and exercises. Close liaison is maintained with surgeons, physiotherapists, pain clinics and GPs.
