In plain English
Orthopaedic surgery is its own residency and its own classification. The sub-specialties beneath it - sports medicine, adult reconstruction and joint replacement, hand, foot and ankle, spine, trauma, pediatric orthopaedics, musculoskeletal oncology - are fellowships, and most orthopaedic surgeons practise within one of them.
Two boundaries are worth knowing. Neurological surgeons also operate on the spine, and podiatrists are the other profession that operates on the foot. Non-surgical musculoskeletal care belongs to physical medicine and rehabilitation, sports medicine physicians, physical therapists and chiropractors.
It is a high-revenue, device-heavy specialty, which is why so much of it has moved into ambulatory surgery centres that the surgeons themselves often part-own. Implant and instrument decisions sit with this group more than with hospital purchasing in many markets.
Training and credentials
Medical school, a five-year orthopaedic surgery residency, then board certification; nearly all add a one-year fellowship.
Where they practise
Hospitals and orthopaedic specialty hospitals, physician-owned ambulatory surgery centres, large single-specialty groups, academic departments.
Orthopedic surgeons on the public record
Counted from what providers file about themselves, with suppression applied before anything is counted, refreshed 2026-10-05. Names, specialties and practice locations are public; work email and phone are for signed-in customers.
| State | On record | With work email | With practice phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 5,392 | 3,536 66% | 5,392 |
| Texas | 3,827 | 2,438 64% | 3,827 |
| Florida | 3,787 | 2,207 58% | 3,785 |
| New York | 3,135 | 2,098 67% | 3,134 |
| Pennsylvania | 2,232 | 1,605 72% | 2,232 |
| Ohio | 1,888 | 1,345 71% | 1,888 |
| Illinois | 1,859 | 1,376 74% | 1,858 |
| North Carolina | 1,782 | 1,217 68% | 1,782 |
Closely related, and where to find them.
Closely related
- General surgeon The broad abdominal and trauma specialty, and the classification other surgery is filed against.
- Podiatrist A separate doctoral profession licensed to operate on the foot and ankle.
- Physiatrist (PM&R) The physician specialty of function and non-surgical musculoskeletal care.
- Chiropractor Manual musculoskeletal practice, portal of entry in every state, almost entirely small business.
Find them
- Orthopedic surgeons list counts by state, the fields a record carries, a sample record.
- Physicians physician data by specialty, state and employer.
- Orthopedic surgeons in New York, NY
- Orthopedic surgeons in Los Angeles, CA
- Orthopedic surgeons in Houston, TX
- Orthopedic surgeons in Miami, FL
- Orthopedic surgeons in Chicago, IL
- Orthopedic surgeons in Philadelphia, PA
Need the list, not the definition?
A free account builds this population with your own filters and shows what each record carries before anything is bought.