Medical Students
Congratulations on embarking on an important journey through medical school. Whether you’re a PGY-1 or PGY-5, your next step in your career is on your mind. What will your specialty be? Where will your Residency be located? What’s the right choice for you? AANA wants to be a part of your journey and help you with these decisions.
What is Orthopaedics? And what is Arthroscopy?
Definition of Orthopaedic: Relating to the branch of medicine concerned with the correction or prevention of deformities, disorders, or injuries of the skeleton and associated structures.
According to the Swarup and O’Donnell in An Overview of the History of Orthopedic Surgery, the term Orthopaedics dates back to the 1700s, but orthopaedic principles developed during primitive times with rapid development occurring during the Renaissance era, which ultimately provided the foundation for modern Orthopaedics and is a rapidly growing field of medicine.
Definition of Arthroscopy: A minimally invasive surgical procedure for diagnosing and treating joint problems utilizing an arthroscope.
Arthroscopy and sports medicine takes the focus of orthopaedics a step further by specializing in a very skills-based procedure that has been proven to positively change the surgical outcomes and patient experience. Arthroscopists are constantly innovating and advancing alongside technology. Virtual reality, artificial intelligences, robotics and biolgoics have catapulted minimally invasive surgery – it’s a very exciting time!