The History of Orthopedics

Orthopedics is the medical focus on the musculoskeletal system. This includes the bones, muscles, ligaments, joints and tendons. Physicians who specialize in this concentration are known as orthopedists or orthopedic surgeons. These doctors diagnose and treat infections, diseases, tumors, deformities and traumatic injuries. The word “orthopedic” comes from the Greek language and means to straighten the child.

This medical specialty showed up in 1780 when a clinic was built to address pediatric skeletal defects. Jean-Andre Venel was the man who started that first orthopedic hospital and he is sometimes referred to as the father of orthopedics. In 1851, a Dutch doctor named Antonius Mathysen began using the casting method to repair bones. Casts were made from plaster of Paris which was a revolutionary new product at that time. The casts were very helpful in healing broken bones especially during wars when soldiers were breaking multiple bones. Splinting and traction were also used to help a bone heal into a straight position.
Prior to the year 1937, all musculoskeletal surgeons were male. In 1937, a woman named Ruth Jackson became the first female board certified orthopedic surgeon. Prior to that year, Elizabeth Blackwell was the first woman to graduate from medical school in the United States and become a general practitioner. Blackwell practiced medicine from 1849 to 1870. Initially, few hospitals would allow her to even practice. Eventually, she started training programs for nurses and infirmaries for the ill. Today, there are many practicing female physicians and surgeons.

In 1950, arthroscopy was showing up in surgical suites. This procedure was invented by a Japanese physician named Dr. Masaki Watanabe. The benefit of using an arthroscope is that operations were less invasive and so required less healing time. Knee surgery began to be performed arthroscopically with good results.

Hip replacement was first done in England during the 1960’s. When hip joints give out, doctors realized they could replace the damaged joint with implants made from metal or polyethylene. Hip replacement is most common in the elderly due to arthritic conditions or inactivity. Keeping up with weight bearing and other exercises will somewhat curtail the breakdown of this joint. Individuals who suffer from arthritis are potential candidates for this type of surgery.

Knee replacements were also beginning to be performed during that time frame. The first knee replacement surgery took place in 1968. Individuals that opt for this procedure usually do so because of intense pain and lack of mobility. As in the hips, the knee joints are also often affected by rheumatoid or osteoarthritis. Doctors usually choose to replace one knee at a time so that the patient can have one normal leg while the other one heals before operating on the second one. This operation has become so common that nearly 600,000 are done in the U.S. each year.

A physician who becomes an orthopedist must attend medical school additional years beyond the regular general practitioners’ four years. He or she would also need to complete a residency and internship in this specialty. When a patient has a disease, traumatic injury, tumor, or deformity in the musculoskeletal systems, he or she should make an appointment with a doctor who specializes in orthopedics.