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. Indiana has 520 practicing orthopedic surgeons. Broken out by city, orthopedic surgery doctor density in Albion is 1, in Anderson is 14, in Angola is 15, in Auburn is 1, in Aurora is 1, in Avon is 17, in Batesville is 4, in Bedford is 5, in Beech Grove is 3, in Bloomington is 10, in Bluffton is 15, in Brazil is 1, in Bremen is 2, in Brownsburg is 1, in Carmel is 18, in Chesterton is 12, in Clinton is 1, in Columbia City is 14, in Columbus is 11, in Connersville is 3, in Corydon is 3, in Crawfordsville is 5, in Crown Point is 4, in Danville is 11, in Decatur is 14, in Dyer is 2, in East Chicago is 2, in Elkhart is 8, in Elwood is 3, in Evansville is 29, in Fishers is 16, in Fort Wayne is 41, in Frankfort is 1, in Franklin is 5, in Gary is 3, in Goshen is 6, in Greencastle is 3, in Greenfield is 8, in Greensburg is 2, in Greenwood is 2, in Hammond is 7, in Hartford City is 1, in Hobart is 13, in Huntington is 16, in Jasper is 4, in Jeffersonville is 9, in Kendallville is 14, in Knox is 1, in Kokomo is 10, in La Porte is 5, in Lafayette is 17, in Lagrange is 2, in Lawrenceburg is 2, in Lebanon is 4, in Logansport is 3, in Lowell is 1, in Madison is 4, in Marion is 4, in Martinsville is 1, in Merrillville is 20, in Michigan City is 8, in Middlebury is 2, in Mishawaka is 16, in Mooresville is 9, in Muncie is 12, in Munster is 24, in Nappanee is 3, in New Albany is 11, in New Castle is 2, in Newburgh is 10, in Noblesville is 6, in North Manchester is 13, in North Vernon is 2, in Osceola is 1, in Paoli is 1, in Peru is 3, in Plymouth is 5, in Portage is 13, in Portland is 1, in Princeton is 1, in Richmond is 8, in Rochester is 1, in Rushville is 1, in Salem is 1, in Schererville is 2, in Sellersburg is 1, in Seymour is 5, in Shelbyville is 9, in South Bend is 23, in Terre Haute is 13, in Tipton is 3, in Upland is 1, in Valparaiso is 18, in Vincennes is 5, in Wabash is 1, in Warsaw is 15, in Washington is 3, in Westfield is 1, in Winamac is 2, and in Zionsville is 2.

Indiana’s population is 6,271,973, and most of the state’s population is located in the north, near the Lake Michigan shoreline, and is part of the greater metro Chicago area. Indiana became a state in 1816, and boasts many historical sites and covered bridges, numerous state parks and forests, hunting and fishing, and a variety of golf courses. Centrally located Indianapolis is home to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, hosting the world-famous 500-mile auto race every year. This capital and largest city of Indiana also hosts a Civil War museum, a planetarium, and the Indiana Historical Society, among many other attractions.

According to 2005 Census estimates, Indiana has a population of 6,271,973. Of this population, 1,566,280 are under the age of 18 and 774,303 are at or above the age of 65.