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. Iowa has 261 practicing orthopedic surgeons. Broken out by city, orthopedic surgery doctor density in Albia is 1, in Altoona is 1, in Ames is 5, in Anamosa is 1, in Ankeny is 11, in Armstrong is 1, in Atlantic is 3, in Audubon is 3, in Bettendorf is 14, in Boone is 2, in Burlington is 1, in Carroll is 6, in Cedar Falls is 4, in Cedar Rapids is 18, in Centerville is 1, in Charles City is 1, in Clarinda is 1, in Clarion is 2, in Clinton is 12, in Clive is 13, in Conrad is 1, in Corning is 1, in Council Bluffs is 10, in Cresco is 1, in Davenport is 17, in De Witt is 2, in Decorah is 3, in Delhi is 1, in Denison is 3, in Des Moines is 36, in Dubuque is 10, in Durant is 1, in Dyersville is 1, in Elkader is 1, in Emmetsburg is 2, in Estherville is 3, in Fayette is 1, in Fort Dodge is 6, in Fort Madison is 3, in Grinnell is 2, in Grundy Center is 2, in Guttenberg is 1, in Hamburg is 1, in Harlan is 1, in Humboldt is 1, in Ida Grove is 1, in Independence is 2, in Iowa City is 55, in Iowa Falls is 1, in Jefferson is 1, in Keokuk is 2, in Keosauqua is 3, in Knoxville is 1, in Lake City is 1, in Le Mars is 1, in Lone Tree is 1, in Manchester is 1, in Mapleton is 1, in Maquoketa is 1, in Marshalltown is 5, in Mason City is 12, in Missouri Valley is 2, in Mount Pleasant is 2, in Moville is 7, in Muscatine is 5, in Nevada is 2, in Newton is 2, in North Liberty is 1, in Oelwein is 1, in Oskaloosa is 4, in Ottumwa is 4, in Pella is 1, in Pocahontas is 1, in Primghar is 2, in Red Oak is 3, in Rock Rapids is 1, in Rock Valley is 1, in Sheldon is 2, in Shenandoah is 2, in Sibley is 2, in Sioux Center is 1, in Sioux City is 10, in Spencer is 5, in Spirit Lake is 2, in Storm Lake is 2, in Sumner is 1, in Toledo is 1, in Washington is 2, in Waterloo is 12, in Waverly is 1, in Webster City is 1, in West Burlington is 4, in West Des Moines is 20, and in West Union is 1.

Iowa’s capital is Des Moines, home to Drake University. Iowa achieved Statehood 1846, and the state’s population is now 2,996,334. The Mississippi river borders the state on the east, and a majority of the state’s economic output is agricultural. Many cultural and entertainment opportunities exist for visitors to the “quad cities” of Davenport and Bettendorf, IA, and Rock Island and Moline, IL. Numerous museums, arts, music and sports events are available in Iowa, including the Herbert Hoover National Historic Site, the Amana Colonies, and the Buffalo Bill Cody Homestead. Famous people born in Iowa: Buffalo Bill, entertainers Johnny Carson and John Wayne, and former president Herbert Hoover.

According to 2005 Census estimates, Iowa has a population of 2,966,334. Of this population, 656,031 are under the age of 18 and 434,196 are at or above the age of 65.