Glossary
Orthopedic Surgeon Terms & Vocabulary
15 essential orthopedic surgeon terms with plain-English definitions: the vocabulary you’ll hear in training and on day one.
Key orthopedic surgeon vocabulary
These 15 terms come up constantly in orthopedic surgeon training, on the job and in interviews. Knowing them helps you follow instructions, document accurately and sound prepared.
- ACL
- Anterior cruciate ligament in the knee.
- Arthroscopy
- Camera-guided joint surgery.
- Cast
- Rigid support for healing bone.
- Compartment syndrome
- Dangerous swelling in a limb.
- Fluoroscopy
- Live X-ray in surgery.
- Fracture
- A broken bone.
- Meniscus
- Knee cartilage.
- ORIF
- Open reduction and internal fixation.
- Osteoarthritis
- Wear-and-tear joint disease.
- Osteoporosis
- Weak, thinning bones.
- Physical therapy
- Rehab after injury or surgery.
- Rotator cuff
- Shoulder tendons.
- Spinal fusion
- Joining vertebrae.
- Sprain
- Ligament injury.
- Total joint replacement
- Replacing a joint with an implant.
Practice these terms
Test yourself with the free Orthopedic Surgeon practice test: it includes vocabulary questions built from this list. For a complete course, see Orthopedic Surgeon training.
Browse terms from every career in our career glossary.