Besides a general capability in all aspects of orthopaedic surgery, the faculty have special interests in spine disorders, pediatric orthopaedics, hand reconstruction, sports medicine, total joint arthroplasty, multi-trauma management, foot and ankle surgery, orthopaedic oncology, and rehabilitation. A close working relationship is maintained with the Arthritis Center and with Physical and Occupational Therapy. They have the option of working in the field of computational and experimental biomechanics or cell biology. Spine The Adult Spine Service is concerned with assessment and management of acute and chronic back pain secondary to osteoarthritis, spinal stenosis, rheumatoid arthritis, musculoskeletal neoplasms, and acute spine injury. The Spine Service maintains a close relationship with the Department of Neurosurgery.
Research programs focus on the effect of injury and degenerative change on the spine.
In addition, a variety of ongoing projects exist which focus on biomechanical and biological aspects of spinal instrumentation and spinal disorders. Hand Diagnosis and treatment of traumatic, congenital, and acquired disorders of the hand and upper extremity is the mission of the Hand Service. Special interests and capabilities include rheumatoid and other adult hand reconstruction, management of acute hand trauma involving microvascular surgery and reimplantation, and the surgical reconstruction of congenital hand deformities. This service coordinates its rehabilitative hand care with programs offered by the Occupational Therapy Department. Trauma Orthopaedic Trauma physicians provide treatment for major trauma victims in coordination with a multidisciplinary team of physicians and surgeons at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Veterans Administration Medical Center.