A Tradition in Excellence and Service

Orthopaedic medicine has a lengthy history. Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics depict people with injured limbs that are wrapped and braced to promote natural healing. War contributed to advances in orthopaedic medicine as doctors developed basic prosthesis to replace mangled body parts; for example, a hook attached to a cup that fits over the wrist was the substitute for an amputated hand.

The etymology of orthopaedics dates to 1741 when French physician Nicholas Andry coined the term "orthopedia". This was a combination of the Greek word "orthos", meaning straight, with "pais", meaning child. Much of orthopaedic medicine several centuries ago dealt with muscular and skeletal deformities of children.

For many years orthopaedics was a physical specialty. The doctor manipulated bones and joints to restore realignment, and then applied casts or braces to maintain the position until the injury healed on its own. Many maladies - such as hip fractures - were considered untreatable and left to mend on their own, and patients were often left with a lifelong physical handicap.

The modern era of orthopaedic medicine dates to the 1930's when a special nail was developed to hold broken bones together. A few years afterward a metal device was invented to replace the head of the thigh bone (femur) that often would not heal as part of a fractured hip joint. It was during this period of rapid advancement that the forerunner of MID STATE Orthopaedic & Sports Medicine Center was founded.