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Esther Nissen

Convergent Science

15 December 2019

How Three Decades of Orthopedic Advances Have Led to Patient Benefits

In the past 30 years many orthopedic advancements in surgical technique have been

made, all of which have led to a shortened recovery and reduced the morbidity of patients.

Among these surgical advancements, one of the most important ones have been the increase in

arthroscopy uses. With the arthroscopy, it became much easier to diagnose and treat muscle and

bone injuries because it was much less invasive than open surgery, which had been the norm for

many years before this. The arthroscopy, which is a tiny camera that is inserted in the patient's

body, allows for the surgeon to see the structures and areas around the joint much clearer than

they would have normally been able to. In the late 1900s, using arthroscopies were limited to the

knee, and it was not until a few years later that surgeons began realizing arthroscopies could be

used all over the body from the shoulder to the elbow to the ankle, etc. Therefore, the

arthroscope is widely known for expanding sports medicine to what it is today. In addition,

another innovation that made the orthopedic field what it is today is the development of the use

of bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs). In 1965, Marshall R. Urist discovered the BMPs when

he realized that bone growth could be instigated by a demineralized matrix. These BMPs help

promote bone formation and are used in spinal and trauma surgery. Furthermore, the

development in joint replacements has led to an increase in patient survival rate and an increase

in their longevity. Through advancements in technology, better education of surgeons, and new

surgical techniques and instruments, patients have been living longer with an increased

functionality of the joint replaced. Recently, cement less fixation, which is when a prosthesis is
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made to allow the bone to grow around it and become dependent on it over time, has so far been

proven to be the most durable material for hip replacements because it decreases the rate of re-

operation, while also increasing the rate of survivorship. Moreover, an increasing amount people

began to see the benefits of using intramedullary (IM) nails, screws and plates, which are metal

rods used to treat fractures of long bones in the body. These nails allowed for smaller incisions

than before, as well as a decrease in blood loss and operating time. Additionally, improvements

in imaging has resulted in better effects for the patients. With clearer ultrasounds and digital X-

ray scans, surgeons are better able to diagnose soft-tissue diseases and are more accurate in

healing select areas. The discovery of the C-arm fluoroscopy, which is an image scanner

intensifier, enables surgeons to take enhanced images while operating in order to monitor

progress in present time and make any changes accordingly. In addition, 3-D models from CT

and MRI scans allow surgeons to be able to create patient specific implants and guides,

decreasing the planning time and resources done before an operation. While there have been

many advancements in orthopedic technology, these are the primary ones that have had the

largest impact on patient lives as well as on the economy.

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Work Cited

Orthopedics Today, March 2010. “Three Decades of Orthopedic Advances Have Resulted in

Many Benefits for Patients.” Healio, 2010,

www.healio.com/orthopedics/arthroscopy/news/print/orthopedics-today/%7Bf96652cd-

4464-4179-b45f-25ed201d541e%7D/three-decades-of-orthopedic-advances-have-

resulted-in-many-benefits-for-patients.