If you ever had a severe injury or a bone disease, an orthopedic surgeon likely handled your case.
Surgeons in this specialty operate on the bones, muscles, ligaments, and tendons. Given the demand for orthopedic surgeons, they earn at least $577,000 in Australia annually.
The question is, will orthopedic surgeons still be relevant in the coming years? Yes, they will. This article will discuss why.
Like the medical field in general, orthopedic surgery has a positive future. Thousands of aspirants will enter this career. Later innovations regarding the muscular and skeletal systems will lead to better patient services.
The role of demographics
The Productivity Commission and the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare report that the subcontinent’s population will age further.
Older people want to retain their full movement capabilities. Also, they are more prone to injuries and skeletal diseases. This trend makes orthopedic surgeons’ services necessary.
The development of new techniques
The medical industry encourages outpatient services. This way, patients will recover quicker and no longer have to stay in hospitals. Treatments like arthroscopy revolutionized surgical treatments in this specialty.
Furthermore, robotics, non-invasive techniques, and bone prosthetics will continue to improve orthopedic surgery. Research on pain relief, rehabilitation, and diagnostics will also promote the patients’ wellness and recovery.
The treatments they can perform
Orthopedic surgeons can conduct procedures that other specialist surgeons cannot. With their years of training and experience, they can perform the following operations:
- Joint replacement surgery. The surgeons replace a broken joint with plastic or metal implants. This operation usually involves the hips or knees.
After the procedure, the surgeons make sure that the patient’s body accepts the joint replacement. This precaution ensures that there are no blood infections and toxic reactions.
- Revision joint surgery. This operation takes place if the joint replacement surgery is unsuccessful. If the implant malfunctions, the surgeons have to replace it with another one.
- Spinal fusion. The surgeons repair the spine by strengthening the bond between each vertebra.
- Bone fusion. In this operation, the surgeons graft broken bones.
- Bone fixation. The surgeons attach bone sections with metal and pins.
- Osteotomy. Patients with bone abnormalities benefit from the osteotomy. Here, the surgeons alter the size of bones to ensure proper growth and development.
- Laminectomies. This surgery lessens the pressure in the spine to treat diseases there.
Potential difficulties
Despite these projections in the career, bureaucracy will prove to be an issue. State governments and hospital committees will require more oversight, becoming a burden to surgeons.
Health establishments may demand more time and deductions from orthopedic surgeons in the coming years. While surgeons serve as their assets, purchasing machines and meeting their expected salaries can be burdensome.
After all, hospitals are businesses too. They must pay to cover the surgeons’ malpractice insurance, retirement benefits, and other employment fees.
Conclusion
Orthopedic surgeons may enjoy a stable and bright future. Potential financial and bureaucratic hurdles have no match against its optimistic projections. More surgeons and patients become involved in orthopedic surgery, driving up demand.