The correction or prevention of deformities of the skeleton.
Example:
The surgery to correct the child's spinal curvature was done by a leading specialist in orthopedics.
Just as an orthodontist corrects crookedness in the teeth, so does an orthopedist correct crookedness in the skeleton. The word orthopedics is formed in part from the Greek word for "child," and many orthopedic patients are in fact children. But adults also often have need for orthopedic therapy, as when suffering from a disease of the joints like arthritis or when recovering from a broken arm or leg.