Introduction

Welcome to the Western Health orthopaedic unit!

We see you as an important part of our team, and wish you to have an enriching learning and working environment.

Since, in our era, the ocean of knowledge is infinite, it’s very hard sometimes to find the most useful resource for your level. No one expects you to lead surgery or make complex clinical decisions at this stage. However, a basic layer of knowledge will lead you to a higher level of understanding and involvement in the clinical setting, e.g. ED, the ward or theatre.

We hope you’ll have a stimulating learning rotation with us, in Western Health. Feel free to ask for more focused directions for field of your interest.

Best of luck!

This is a collection of high yield knowledge sources, which will help you focus on a time-
effective reading.

Orthoanswer and Orthofracs

  • These websites have been built by the WH Orthopaedic department over many years with contributions from Surgeons, fellows, registrars, HMO, Interns and medical students
  • Orthofracs – is the registrar / trainee information website
  • Orthoanswer – is for patient information written at Grade 5 English level

Anatomy

While treatment methods evolve, anatomy is constant, and never obsolete.

  • Netter Concise Orthopaedic Anatomy (2 nd ed.) is a useful quick reading. It is has an organ based division, but the basic science chapter is highly useful for understanding the tissues we’re dealing with (bones, muscles, tendons, ligaments, nerves).

Orthopaedic physical examination

It is very important to be systematic and efficient in our evaluation of patients.

  • The Orthopaedic Physical Examination (2 nd ed., by Bruce Reider) is a very organized and systemic source, starting from surface anatomy, normal exam and pathologies, all illustrated with many photographs. Take a free evening and read a the spine, knee or shoulder chapters and you’ll immediately understand better what we’re dealing with.

Trauma and fractures

Trauma is very fundamental in orthopaedics (“there is a fracture, I need to fix it…”). Some
principles are shared with most fracture treatment. However, not all fractures are the
same, and may require different approaches.

  • Handbook of Fractures (6 th ed., Egol, Koval and Zuckerman) will give you a quick reference for any type of fracture. Diagnosis, XR views, treatment indications, immobilization principles and type of surgery if needed. Very useful for common ED referrals.
  • The AO website concentrates useful information of fractures, anatomy, treatment indications, surgical approaches and surgical techniques.
  • If you want to take yourself to a higher level of understanding of biomechanics related to
  • bone healing and orthopaedic implants, you could play with AO OSapp. It is an interactive app demonstrating biomechanical principles and concepts utilized in our treatment.

Common pathologies

The more medical research advances, the differential diagnosis list is ever growing. However, 95% of the time we’re dealing with the bread of butter of Orthopaedics – trauma, degenerative diseases, developmental pathologies and deformities, infections and tumors.

  • Case Files of Orthopaedic Surgery (4 th ed.) is a high yield collection of the most common orthopaedic scenarios, thoroughly but concisely explaining the diagnosis and treatment of prevalent cases: dislocations, common fractures, septic arthritis, compartment syndrome, osteoarthritis, spine pathologies and more. 7 pages per case and you’ll be the smartest person in the ED in the middle of the night…
  • Orthobullets is a ever renewing, peer reviewed, comprehensive source for any topic in orthopaedic surgery, and is being used by the registrar and consultants as well regularly.

Friday Morning Resident Education

This is held every Friday morning. The list of topics include

  • Wound – E Module
  • Reading Xrays
  • Fracture Management
  • Orthopaedic Emergencies

Ethicon Suturing Program

A program run by Ethicon to help you with your suturing skills

Library

Western has a library and the Orthopaedic department has a large resource of books which you are welcome to use and borrow. If you do want to take a book home, let Lidia Carbone know.

If you would like a book and isn’t available in the Orthopaedic Library, let Lidia know and we could possibly purchase it.

Authorship

Eran Keltz – October 2023

Phong Tran – October 2023