ABSTRACT
Orthopedic surgeons have changed their treatment of musculoskeletal disease in the last 30 years. Orthopedics has become technical and unstoppable in its new-found joint replacement mode; biomechanics is at every corner and implants for almost every conceivable type of fracture abound. The modern orthopedist requires a dedicated operating-room staff to know every nuance of an operation, particularly for using all the implants now available. Assembly of complex external fixators for fracture and deformity treatment, or bone-transplant procedures, the screws, wires, rods, hooks and clamps for spinal operations – even the strange-looking jigs for some joint reconstructions – all need particular training and skills.
