Orthopedics is a branch of medical science that focuses on disorders of the human musculoskeletal system, and the entire effort of the treatment team is to restore the patient's quality of life to its expected level.
More than a thousand years ago, Bu Ali Sina, the pride of the Iranians, emphasized the importance of movement and human health in the following sentences:
"Movement stimulates instinctive heat and removes waste products from the body. It strengthens the body and improves digestion. A person who is accustomed to movement gets sick less often and lives longer."
The Law of Medicine, Volume 1, Technique 1, Article 3, Chapter “On the Management of the Body in Movement and Stillness” “Health is a blessing that is not recognized while it remains, and when it is lost, it is recognized. Maintaining health is superior to restoring it after deterioration.” The Law of Medicine, Volume 1, Technique 1, Article 1, Chapter “On the Management of Health” With the onset of middle age and with increasing age, the body’s tissues and, on a microscopic scale, the body’s fibrous structure, called collagen fibers, begin to undergo structural changes and become more vulnerable. Collagen fibers make up all bone, cartilage, muscle, tendon, and ligament tissues.
High weight or obesity and prolonged standing due to mechanical stress are important risk factors for joint damage and wear and tear of its cartilage. Having a genetic or family background causes tissue destruction earlier than expected; however, by losing weight and doing corrective exercises, genetic effects can be reduced.
Following exercise, mechanical receptors (Mechanoreceptors) located in joints, muscles, and tendons are stimulated and send electrical signals to the brain or spinal cord. The brain also sends repair cells to the received signal. Also, proper exercise exercises improve the molecular connections of collagen fibers and prevent their further destruction and fragility. It is possible that by observing and performing the above, the destruction of musculoskeletal tissues will continue and there will be no choice but to reconstruct them through surgery.
Surgery is recommended in cases where none of the non-surgical methods have worked, and the patient's quality of life and health decreases day by day. If the patient does not accept surgery, increased mobility disability leads to weight gain and obesity, and increases the risk of cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis. Also, as the patient ages and the immune system becomes less efficient, the risk of infection, which is the greatest concern for the surgeon and the patient, also increases. Surgical wound healing is more common at younger ages.
