Synonyms in a broader sense
Diseases of the postural and locomotor system
History
The word orthopedics comes from the Greek word “orthos” and means upright walk of the human being. Originally, the word “Orthos” was also used to describe biomechanical aspects such as axes of force. “Pediatrics” is certainly derived from the Greek word “pedas”.
“Pedas” stands for immobilization, an essential therapeutic principle in ancient times. The term orthopedics was first used in 1741 with the creation of a separate special subject. Various treatment options such as chiropractic manual therapy, movement therapy, naturopathy and surgical measures on the musculoskeletal system were combined into one specialty
What is orthopedics for?
Orthopedics deals with diseases of bones, joints, muscles, tendons, ligaments, bursae, vessels and nerves. It is a disease and can occur at any age. This means it sounds like damage before birth (genetic), during birth (for example, broken collarbone) or most often after birth.
These include diseases of the growth phase, but also overstrain, wear (arthrosis), aging and acute injuries. The basic principles of orthopedic therapy are physical laws that apply in a biological organism. This means that technical-mechanical thinking must be linked to the biological self-healing of the body and exploited for therapy.
It should be noted that the physical influence of biological processes can be changed in a favorable way. An example of this is congenital hip dysplasia (inadequate maturation of the acetabular roof of the hip joint in the infant), which can be brought to complete healing according to its extent with simple physical measures, such as wide wrap or the application of spreader pants. If this “defect” is overlooked in the construction plan, it cannot be corrected.
Hip dysplasia persists for a lifetime; incisive secondary problems such as hip arthrosis (coxarthrosis) occur. The goal of orthopedics is therefore to achieve a balance of physical forces while taking into account the biological functions. The disease itself must not be seen in isolation.
A problem in one joint that is restricted in movement by pain always affects neighboring joints. These must compensate for the lack of movement and can also be overstrained. Pain leads to hardening of the surrounding muscles.
The permanent tension causes problems with the tendon attachments, capsules and ligaments. Furthermore, the mental processing of a disease plays a decisive role. Especially the pain processing is changed by the mind. Therefore orthopedic diseases should never be seen as pure problems of biomechanics. A lasting therapeutic benefit can only be achieved if holistic therapy approaches are taken into account.
