Occupation or Discipline
orthopedics Audio
or·tho·pe·dics [ awr-thuh-pee-diks ]
Subclass of:
Specialties, Surgical
Etymology:
Greek orthos = straight + paidion = child
Formerly, the orthopedist was chiefly concerned with straightening the deformities of children; hence the word.
Definitions related to orthopedics:
  • A specialty which utilizes medical, surgical, and physical methods to treat and correct deformities, diseases, and injuries to the skeletal system, its articulations, and associated structures.
    NLM Medical Subject Headings
    U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2025
  • Branch of surgery that is especially concerned with the preservation and restoration of the functions of the skeletal system, its articulations and associated structures.
    CRISP Thesaurus
    National Institutes of Health, 2006
  • The branch of surgery broadly concerned with the skeletal system (bones and joints).
    NCI
    U.S. National Cancer Institute, 2021
  • Orthopedics, medical specialty concerned with the preservation and restoration of function of the skeletal system and its associated structures, i.e., spinal and other bones, joints, and muscles. The term orthopedics was introduced in 1741 by French physician Nicolas Andry de Bois-Regard in his...
    Encyclopedia Britannica
    Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc., 2025
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