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 Sacramento is 131, in Saint Helena is 4, in Salinas is 18, in San Anselmo is 2, in San Bernardino is 23, in San Bruno is 2, in San Clemente is 5, in San Diego is 230, in San Dimas is 5, in San Fernando is 1, in San Francisco is 174, in San Gabriel is 6, in San Jose is 67, in San Juan Capistrano is 1, in San Leandro is 9, in San Luis Obispo is 14, in San Marcos is 7, in San Mateo is 22, in San Pablo is 3, in San Pedro is 5, in San Rafael is 11, in San Ramon is 33, in San Ysidro is 1, in Santa Ana is 45, in Santa Barbara is 39, in Santa Clara is 11, in Santa Clarita is 3, in Santa Cruz is 12, in Santa Fe Spring is 1, in Santa Fe Springs is 7, in Santa Maria is 12, in Santa Monica is 51, in Santa Paula is 3, in Santa Rosa is 37, in Saratoga is 2, in Satinas is 1, in Sausalito is 1, in Scotts Valley is 1, in Seal Beach is 1, in Sebastopol is 4, in Selma is 2, in Sherman Oaks is 15, in Signal Hill is 1, in Simi Valley is 25, in Solana Beach is 1, in Soledad is 2, in Solvang is 8, in Sonoma is 6, in Sonora is 5, in South El Monte is 1, in South Gate is 3, in South Lake Tahoe is 12, in South Pasadena is 1, in South San Francisco is 5, in Spring Valley is 1, in Stanford is 25, in Stockton is 24, in Suisun City is 1, in Sun City is 4, in Sun Valley is 3, in Sunnyvale is 8, in Susanville is 1, and in Sylmar is 1.

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.