What is Operative Orthopaedics?

Operative orthopaedics is a branch of medicine that deals with the surgical treatment of diseases and injuries of the locomotor system. Constituent elements of this system are bones, joints (cartilage), ligaments, muscles and tendons. Operations can be urgent or scheduled.

Orthopaedic surgery as a profession also includes non-operative (conservative) treatment, which implies the use of immobilization with plaster casts, various types of orthosis, forearm crutch, walker, injection drugs and devices as well as Physical therapy and rehabilitation.

​

The locomotor system can be damaged by some disease, known or unknown cause and injury; acute (suddenly occurring) or chronic (most often frequent microtraumas over a long period of time).

Although diseases and injuries can affect only one element of the system, more often several parts or even all of them are affected.

​

Such diseases and damage mainly manifest as pain and restriction of movement (function) which mosty present both at the same time, less often only one. Diseases can also manifest as visible deformities.

​

If the pain is caused by a mechanical cause, it can be treated with surgery, usually after Physical therapy and pain/inflammatory medications (analgesics) have failed. At the same time, you should know that there are diseases and injuries for which Physical therapy is not recommended as the first method of treatment. Namely, exercises increasing the range of motion which are an integral part of every therapy increase existing damage and make it difficult or completely impossible to successfully operate treatment and final result will not be satisfactory.

​

Depending on the type of damage and the degree of tissue damage, we decide for conservative or surgical treatment.

​

Compared to conservative treatment with immobilization (eg. bone fractures), surgery has the advantage of a faster return to activity/work. Post-operative rehabilitation starts immediately, while with conservative treatment only after repair of damage and removal of immobilization (usually from 4 to 6, sometimes up to 8 weeks) .

 

Only bone tissue benefits from such treatment, while other tissues, cartilage in joints, tendons and muscles suffer damage due to immobilization and disuse. After such treatment, the return to activity and work can be very long (from a few weeks to several months or even years).

​

Long-term illness has adverse effects on everyone. Mostly on patients due to salary reduction, but also on employers because forced to provide a replacement for sick leave worker. Ultimately, the whole society stands to lose.

 

Operative treatment is therefore often not only the best quality and the fastest but also the most financially favorable return to a healthy active life.