Orthopaedic surgery is the treatment of bone and joint disorders affecting the upper limb, the lower limb and the spine.

The word ‘orthopaedic’ comes from the Greek words ‘orthos’ meaning ‘straight’, and ‘paed’ meaning ‘child’. It was coined by French physician Nicolas Andry in 1741, as initially he was concerned with correcting spinal and bony deformities of children.

An orthopaedic surgeon is a medical specialist who has undergone a minimum of 6 years’ additional training after obtaining a standard medical degree. In New Zealand, a medical degree is an MB,ChB, which stands for Bachelor of Medicine & Bachelor of Surgery. All New Zealand medical practitioners are required to be registered and approved by the New Zealand Medical Council and will have a registration number.

New Zealand orthopaedic surgeons are trained and registered by the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons, a conjoined professional body of Australia and New Zealand.

Orthopaedic surgeons are trained in all branches of orthopaedic surgery, but tend to specialise in particular body regions such as the hip or the shoulder, or certain age groups such as children’s surgery, or specific disorders such as tumour surgery.