Final answer:
An orthopedist is a doctor who treats musculoskeletal disorders across all age groups, from correcting bone deformities in children to treating complex bone and joint injuries that may include surgery.
Step-by-step explanation:
The term orthopedics was so named because the field originally aligned children's bones and corrected deformities. Specifically, an orthopedist is a medical doctor who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of the musculoskeletal system.
Which includes bones, joints, muscles, ligaments, tendons, and nerves. While the origins of orthopedics were focused on children (ortho- meaning "straight," and paed- meaning "child"), modern-day orthopedists treat patients of all ages, from pediatric to geriatric.
Orthopedists can perform a variety of treatments, including non-surgical methods such as medications, exercises, braces, and other devices. In some cases, they may perform surgery, like prenatal surgery to correct spina bifida, a congenital defect.
They also treat conditions such as curvature ortho spine, like scoliosis and kyphosis, and may sub-specialize in areas such as sports medicine to address injuries that range from simple ones like a sprained ankle to complex ones such as a torn rotator cuff.