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. California has 3,105 practicing orthopedic surgeons. Broken out by city, orthopedic surgery doctor density in Anaheim is 60, in Arcadia is 20, in Bakersfield is 33, in Berkeley is 17, in Beverly Hills is 68, in Brentwood is 18, in Burbank is 17, in Burlingame is 12, in Camarillo is 6, in Chula Vista is 23, in Concord is 10, in Corona is 11, in Coronado is 1, in Culver City is 6, in Daly City is 19, in Downey is 18, in El Cajon is 16, in Encinitas is 30, in Escondido is 17, in Fairfield is 12, in Fountain Valley is 23, in Fremont is 31, in Fresno is 41, in Fullerton is 16, in Glendale is 34, in Huntington Beach is 21, in Indio is 19, in Inglewood is 8, in Irvine is 27, in La Habra is 9, in La Mesa is 20, in Lafayette is 5, in Laguna Hills is 13, in Lakewood is 15, in Lancaster is 20, in Larkspur is 8, in Loma Linda is 21, in Long Beach is 75, in Los Alamitos is 17, in Los Angeles is 323, in Los Gatos is 30, in Manhattan Beach is 7, in Menlo Park is 6, in Mission Viejo is 27, in Modesto is 30, in Monterey is 13, in Mountain View is 15, in Napa is 12, in Newport Beach is 35, in Novato is 5, in Oakland is 76, in Oceanside is 13, in Orange is 72, in Orinda is 16, in Oxnard is 27, in Palm Springs is 30, in Palo Alto is 69, in Pasadena is 61, in Petaluma is 6, in Pleasanton is 12, in Poway is 14, in Rancho Mirage is 30, in Red Bluff is 4, in Redding is 26, in Redlands is 19, in Redwood City is 28, in Riverside is 59, in Roseville is 32, in Sacramento is 131, in San Bernardino is 23, in San Diego is 230, in San Francisco is 174, in San Jose is 67, in San Leandro is 9, in San Luis Obispo is 14, in San Mateo is 22, in San Ramon is 33, in Santa Ana is 45, in Santa Barbara is 39, in Santa Cruz is 12, in Santa Fe Springs is 7, in Santa Monica is 51, in Santa Rosa is 37, in Simi Valley is 25, in Solvang is 8, in Sonora is 5, in Stockton is 24, in Sunnyvale is 8, in Temecula is 15, in Thousand Oaks is 28, in Torrance is 57, in Upland is 13, in Vacaville is 10, in Visalia is 13, in Walnut Creek is 52, in West Covina is 13, in West Hollywood is 4, in Westlake Village is 14, in Westminster is 5, and in Whittier is 26.

California’s population is 36,142,137, and it is America’s third largest and most populous state. It also claims the highest and lowest altitudes in the lower 48 states. The lowest point in the country, Death Valley, is also home to the nation’s highest recorded temperature, 134 degrees. Tourists flock to this state for its many outdoor activities and attractions, including Universal Studios, Disneyland, Rodeo Drive shopping, the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, wine country tours, and California’s numerous beaches and parks. Los Angeles is the nation’s second largest city, but California’s capital is Sacramento. The giant sequoias in California’s forests are among the oldest living things in the world, and a redwood in the Redwood National Park is said to be the world’s tallest tree, at 365 feet. California achieved statehood in 1850, and was named the Golden State after the beginning of the Gold Rush in 1848.

According to 2005 Census estimates, California has a population of 36,132,147. Of this population, 9,308,563 are under the age of 18 and 3,827,038 are at or above the age of 65.