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. Georgia has 770 practicing orthopedic surgeons. Broken out by city, orthopedic surgery doctor density in Albany is 24, in Alpharetta is 12, in Americus is 6, in Ashburn is 1, in Atlanta is 183, in Austell is 30, in Bainbridge is 1, in Baldwin is 1, in Blairsville is 1, in Blue Ridge is 2, in Bremen is 6, in Brunswick is 13, in Buford is 2, in Calhoun is 3, in Canton is 20, in Carrollton is 8, in Cartersville is 7, in Cochran is 2, in College Park is 16, in Commerce is 1, in Conyers is 5, in Cordele is 10, in Covington is 6, in Cumming is 14, in Dacula is 4, in Dahlonega is 3, in Dallas is 5, in Dalton is 8, in Dawsonville is 2, in Decatur is 26, in Demorest is 4, in Douglas is 5, in Douglasville is 11, in Dublin is 3, in Duluth is 29, in East Point is 1, in Eastman is 3, in Eatonton is 2, in Elberton is 1, in Fayetteville is 32, in Fitzgerald is 2, in Forest Park is 1, in Fort Oglethorpe is 6, in Fort Valley is 3, in Gainesville is 13, in Glenwood is 1, in Griffin is 13, in Hartwell is 2, in Hawkinsville is 4, in Hazlehurst is 1, in Hinesville is 4, in Jasper is 3, in Jesup is 4, in Jonesboro is 1, in Kennesaw is 8, in Kingsland is 6, in Lagrange is 20, in Lawrenceville is 42, in Lilburn is 3, in Macon is 32, in Marietta is 44, in Mcdonough is 13, in Milledgeville is 8, in Monroe is 7, in Morrow is 14, in Moultrie is 9, in Nashville is 1, in Newnan is 8, in Norcross is 1, in Peachtree City is 1, in Perry is 7, in Powder Springs is 2, in Reidsville is 1, in Richmond Hill is 5, in Ringgold is 2, in Riverdale is 5, in Rome is 13, in Roswell is 12, in Sandersville is 2, in Savannah is 38, in Smyrna is 4, in Snellville is 16, in Statesboro is 9, in Stockbridge is 18, in Summerville is 1, in Suwanee is 20, in Swainsboro is 2, in Sylvester is 4, in Thomaston is 3, in Thomasville is 8, in Thomson is 13, in Tifton is 8, in Toccoa is 3, in Valdosta is 19, in Vidalia is 15, in Villa Rica is 7, in Warner Robins is 14, in Waycross is 5, in Winder is 3, and in Woodstock is 20.

Georgia is rich in history, from its statehood in 1788, to its tobacco plantations, to its civil rights memorials. Atlanta is its vibrant capital city, and it offers a myriad of music, arts, sports and nightlife. While in Atlanta, visit the world’s largest aquarium, the Woodruff Arts Center, or the Atlanta Botanical Garden. Ride the Old Town Trolley in Savannah, and listen to some live jazz and blues at one of Savannah’s many festivals. Georgia’s mountain parks offer hiking, biking, climbing, and other outdoor activities. On Georgia’s coastline, you can go boating, deep sea fishing or kayaking in the Atlantic. The Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge draws many visitors yearly.

According to 2005 Census estimates, Georgia has a population of 9,072,576. Of this population, 2,319,806 are under the age of 18 and 865,997 are at or above the age of 65.