Orthopedic surgery deals with problems of the spine and the extremities. An orthopedic surgeon diagnoses and treats patients whose musculoskeletal problems include arthritis, trauma and congenital deformities. He or she also works with patients who have traumatic and overuse injuries. Using both surgical and non-surgical means, the orthopedic surgeon will treat injuries and degenerative problems of the spine and extremities, such as hands, feet, knees, shoulders and elbows.

Physicians in this specialty treat patients suffering from numerous diseases and illnesses, but some of the most common are spinal infection, spinal discectomy, spinal injury, spondylolisthesis, spinal stenosis, herniated disc, carpal tunnel syndrome, scoliosis, spinal deformity, spinal cord tumors, arthritis, trigger finger, tennis elbow, wrist fractures, ganglion cysts, orthopaedic trauma, brachial plexus injuries, and congenital deformities.

Once properly diagnosed, practitioners can perform numerous procedures on patients including disc disease / surgery, hand surgery, hip replacement, back / spine surgery , invasive disc surgery, joint surgery, kyphosis surgery, shoulder arthroscopy and débridement, repair of ankle fracture (bimalleolar type), repair fracture of radius (bone)/ulna, knee replacement, laminectomy, total joint reconstruction (arthroplasty), spine surgery, foot and ankle surgery, lumbar spinal fusion, carpal tunnel release, repair of femoral shaft fracture, repair of rotator cuff tendon, and repair of ankle fracture (fibula).

To diagnose patients with possible illnesses and diseases, specialists will often perform one of many tests including cat scan, mri arthrogram, magnetic resonance imaging (mri), computed axial tomography (ct or cat scan), x-ray, pet scan, bone scans, hip ultrasound, gallium scan, medical photography, and spine ultrasound.

Doctor density varies by specialty and location. Arizona has 467 practicing orthopedic surgeons. Broken out by city, orthopedic surgery doctor density in Anthem is 1, in Apache Junction is 1, in Avondale is 2, in Benson is 1, in Bullhead City is 5, in Camp Verde is 1, in Casa Grande is 4, in Chandler is 13, in Cottonwood is 4, in Douglas is 1, in Flagstaff is 17, in Fort Mohave is 4, in Gilbert is 9, in Glendale is 45, in Globe is 2, in Goodyear is 14, in Green Valley is 2, in Kingman is 6, in Lake Havasu City is 6, in Lakeside is 2, in Luke Afb is 1, in Mesa is 55, in Oro Valley is 1, in Paradise Valley is 2, in Parker is 1, in Payson is 2, in Pearce is 1, in Peoria is 12, in Phoenix is 186, in Prescott is 8, in Prescott Valley is 2, in Sacaton is 1, in Safford is 2, in San Luis is 1, in Scottsdale is 82, in Sedona is 3, in Show Low is 3, in Sierra Vista is 3, in Sun City is 20, in Sun City West is 28, in Tempe is 20, in Tucson is 92, in Willcox is 2, and in Yuma is 9.

Arizona has many famous tourist attractions and parks, including the Hoover Dam and Lake Mead, which was created when the dam was built. The Grand Canyon draws millions of visitors each year, and Phoenix, Scottsdale, Flagstaff each draw their own sun-seeking winter vacationers. Visit the world-famous O.K. Corral in Tombstone. Arizona’s population is 5,939,292, and Phoenix, the capital city, is home to a majority of those people. Entertainers Linda Ronstadt, Stevie Nicks, and Tanya Tucker were born here, along with architect Frank Lloyd Wright and former Supreme Court justice Sandra Day O’Connor.

According to 2005 Census estimates, Arizona has a population of 5,939,292. Of this population, 1,535,805 are under the age of 18 and 754,345 are at or above the age of 65.