In paediatric orthopaedics, one of the major areas of progress has been the greatly improved treatments now available for patients diagnosed with malignant bone tumours. These treatments have resulted in the increased survival of many patients whose diagnoses previously carried grave prognoses. Defects created by tumour resection are treated more effectively as well. Techniques such as distraction osteogenesis and bone transport now are used in the reconstruction of these bone defects and in cases in which significant trauma or infection has resulted in deformity. These relatively new technologies, originally used to correct limb length discrepancies in children, can dramatically correct limb deformity and restore function .

Today, orthopaedic researchers strive to improve orthopaedic treatment modalities through better understanding of the composition, structure, and function of musculoskeletal tissues. Much knowledge has been gained in the past few decades regarding disease processes, such as rheumatoid and degenerative arthritis, and the body’s response to injury.

Additionally, the areas of biomechanics and biomaterials have helped create the implants and prostheses that are now an integral part of orthopaedic surgery. Research will continue at a never-before-seen pace and will certainly improve the understanding and treatment of musculoskeletal problems.
Finally, it would be wrong for medical specialists today, especially orthopaedists, not to mention the contribution of diagnostic radiology in regard to diagnostic decision making. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging have found a niche in orthopaedics and are likely to remain as useful diagnostic tools.