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 2,510 practicing orthopedic surgeons. Broken out by city, orthopedic surgery doctor density in Anaheim is 42, in Arcadia is 18, in Bakersfield is 32, in Berkeley is 13, in Beverly Hills is 46, in Brentwood is 18, in Burbank is 9, in Burlingame is 8, in Camarillo is 8, in Chula Vista is 16, in Concord is 5, in Corona is 9, in Coronado is 1, in Culver City is 18, in Daly City is 17, in Downey is 16, in El Cajon is 10, in Encinitas is 23, in Escondido is 16, in Fairfield is 10, in Fountain Valley is 14, in Fremont is 18, in Fresno is 33, in Fullerton is 16, in Glendale is 26, in Huntington Beach is 17, in Indio is 16, in Inglewood is 8, in Irvine is 22, in La Habra is 4, in La Mesa is 20, in Lafayette is 7, in Laguna Hills is 11, in Lakewood is 14, in Lancaster is 16, in Larkspur is 9, in Loma Linda is 30, in Long Beach is 62, in Los Alamitos is 14, in Los Angeles is 290, in Los Gatos is 27, in Manhattan Beach is 3, in Menlo Park is 3, in Mission Viejo is 27, in Modesto is 24, in Monterey is 14, in Mountain View is 12, in Napa is 9, in Newport Beach is 19, in Novato is 5, in Oakland is 54, in Oceanside is 5, in Orange is 72, in Orinda is 12, in Oxnard is 20, in Palm Springs is 21, in Palo Alto is 42, in Pasadena is 44, in Petaluma is 6, in Pleasanton is 16, in Poway is 12, in Rancho Mirage is 22, in Red Bluff is 5, in Redding is 24, in Redlands is 18, in Redwood City is 17, in Riverside is 44, in Roseville is 26, in Sacramento is 106, in San Bernardino is 26, in San Diego is 195, in San Francisco is 153, in San Jose is 57, in San Leandro is 5, in San Luis Obispo is 15, in San Mateo is 12, in San Ramon is 31, in Santa Ana is 41, in Santa Barbara is 26, in Santa Cruz is 9, in Santa Fe Springs is 3, in Santa Monica is 44, in Santa Rosa is 25, in Simi Valley is 24, in Solvang is 9, in Sonora is 4, in Stockton is 25, in Sunnyvale is 5, in Temecula is 13, in Thousand Oaks is 20, in Torrance is 51, in Upland is 13, in Vacaville is 8, in Visalia is 11, in Walnut Creek is 49, in West Covina is 10, in West Hollywood is 5, in Westlake Village is 8, in Westminster is 2, and in Whittier is 20.

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.