What does an orthopedic surgeon do? Training, subspecialties, and how to check credentials in Canada

This guide is for people who have been told to “see an orthopedic surgeon” and want to know what that means, how the specialty is trained and regulated in Canada, and how an orthopedic surgeon differs from the other professionals who treat joint and muscle pain.

What is an orthopedic surgeon?

The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons describes orthopedics (also spelled orthopaedics, and also called orthopaedic surgery) as the medical specialty that focuses on injuries and diseases of the musculoskeletal system. The Canadian Medical Association’s specialty profile puts it the same way: orthopedic surgeons diagnose, treat, rehabilitate, and prevent diseases of the bones, joints, ligaments, muscles, tendons, and nerves, and they care for patients of all ages.

The AAOS lists four jobs that every orthopedic surgeon does: diagnosis, treatment (medication, injections, casting, bracing, or surgery), rehabilitation through exercise or physiotherapy, and prevention. The surgeon leads a team that can include physiatrists, sports medicine physicians, radiologists, anesthesiologists, nurses, physiotherapists, and trainees.

“Orthopedic surgeon” and “orthopedist” are often used interchangeably. In Canada the regulated title is the specialty certification: a physician listed as a specialist in orthopedic surgery on a provincial register has completed the training below. If a clinic uses a looser label, the register is the place to confirm what the person is actually certified in.

How does someone become an orthopedic surgeon in Canada?

The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada sets the training standard. Its Specialty Training Requirements in Orthopedic Surgery (version 3.0, 2015) require a minimum of five years of approved residency, and the program director can require more. The CMA profile breaks that into 24 months of foundational surgery training and 36 months of further orthopedic residency.

Add it up and the AAOS estimate of up to 14 years of formal education after high school is a fair guide for Canada too.

What FRCSC means

The Royal College’s guide to its designations states that FRCSC is the designation for a Fellow in the Division of Surgery, that certification “attests to the fact that the certificant has met the highest Royal College standards” for the specialty, and that only current, active Fellows and retired Fellows may use the letters. Active Fellows must take part in the Maintenance of Certification program. The Royal College also keeps a directory of Fellows; inclusion is voluntary, so a surgeon who is absent from it may still be certified.

How many orthopedic surgeons Canada has

The CMA profile (updated December 2019) counted 1,693 orthopedic surgeons in Canada, or 4.5 per 100,000 people: 629 in Ontario and 434 in Quebec. Most work mainly in community hospitals (35%) or academic health sciences centres (28%), with 18% based in a private office or clinic.

What do orthopedic surgeons treat?

The AAOS examples run from clubfoot in newborns to arthritis in older adults, with sports injuries, fractures, and bone tumours in between. The common thread is a problem in the structure of the body that limits movement or causes pain. The AAOS also lists the signs that justify a visit: pain lasting more than 3 months, limited range of motion, and injuries that have stopped improving with ice or over-the-counter pain relievers.

• Arthritis of the hip, knee, shoulder, and ankle, including joint replacement when non-surgical care stops working. In Canada, about 51,200 hip replacements and 83,700 knee replacements for osteoarthritis are performed each year, according to CIHI data from the Canadian Joint Replacement Registry.
• Sports and soft-tissue injuries: ACL and meniscus tears, rotator cuff tears, shoulder instability, labral tears of the hip, and Achilles ruptures.
• Fractures and trauma, from a wrist fracture to complex open fractures that need emergency care.
• Spine conditions: disc herniation, spinal stenosis, and instability. In some centres, including Pathway’s, spine surgery is also performed by neurosurgeons.
• Hand, wrist, foot, and ankle conditions: carpal tunnel syndrome, trigger finger, bunions, and ankle arthritis.
• Children’s conditions such as scoliosis and hip dysplasia, and bone and soft-tissue tumours.

Surgery is one tool among several. The CMA describes the specialty as roughly half non-surgical and half surgical, and the AAOS states that seeing an orthopedic surgeon “does not necessarily mean you will end up having surgery.” The surgeon decides whether an operation is the option most likely to help, and which one.

What are the orthopedic subspecialties?

After residency, most surgeons narrow their practice. The AAOS lists ten subspecialties: foot and ankle, hand and wrist, hip replacement and reconstruction, knee replacement and reconstruction, orthopedic oncology, orthopedic trauma, pediatric orthopedic surgery, shoulder and elbow, spine, and sports medicine. The Royal College residency rotations map onto the same areas. Here is how they line up with Pathway’s surgeons:

• Hip and knee arthroplasty (joint replacement): Dr. Sebastian Rodriguez-Elizalde (fellowship at Hospital for Special Surgery, New York; Program Director of the Humber Hip and Knee Fellowship), Dr. Michael Zywiel (Toronto Western Hospital, UHN), Dr. Thomas Zochowski, and Dr. Justin Chang (fellowship in robotic hip and knee arthroplasty, University College London Hospitals). See hip surgery and knee surgery.
• Sports medicine (knee, shoulder, hip): Dr. Jihad Abouali (200+ ACL reconstructions per year), Dr. Thierry Pauyo (Head Team Physician, Montreal Canadiens), Dr. Jason Smith (Official Orthopaedic Surgeon, Toronto Blue Jays and Toronto Maple Leafs), and Dr. Jas Chahal (Associate Professor, University of Toronto).
• Shoulder and elbow: Dr. Bashar Alolabi (Shoulder & Elbow Fellowship, Cleveland Clinic). See shoulder and elbow surgery.
• Foot and ankle: Dr. Danny Arora (fellowship at Duke). See foot and ankle surgery.
• Spine: Dr. Eric Massicotte, a neurosurgeon at Toronto Western Hospital (UHN) who performs minimally invasive and complex spine surgery. See spine surgery.
• Hand and wrist: carpal tunnel release, trigger finger release, and wrist arthroscopy. See hand and wrist surgery.

The full roster, with each surgeon’s fellowship training and hospital affiliation, is on the surgeons page.

Orthopedic surgeon vs. physiatrist vs. physiotherapist vs. chiropractor

Four professions treat joint and muscle pain, and people often see more than one. The difference is training, regulation, and which treatments each is licensed to provide.

A practical way to think about it: physiotherapists and chiropractors treat with movement and hands-on care, physiatrists add medical diagnosis, medication, and injections, and orthopedic surgeons add surgery. For most joint pain the sequence starts with the conservative end. When imaging shows structural damage, when pain persists past three months, or when a joint has stopped responding to conservative care, an orthopedic surgeon is the person who can assess the surgical options.

How do I check a surgeon’s credentials in Canada?

Every province has a public register. The two that matter most for Pathway patients:

• Ontario: College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO). The CPSO register is searchable by name or CPSO number. CPSO explains that it shows the physician’s specialty, the Ontario hospitals where they can practise, whether registration is restricted, suspended, or revoked, and, in limited cases, allegations or findings of professional misconduct, incompetence, or incapacity. It does not show whether a physician performs a particular procedure or is accepting patients.
• Quebec: Collège des médecins du Québec (CMQ). The CMQ directory is searchable by five-digit permit number or by last name (at least three characters). It lists specialty, permit type, status including any practice restrictions, main practice address, and disciplinary information, including active complaints before the Disciplinary Council.
• Royal College directory. Confirms active Fellowship (FRCSC) and the date it began. Because listing is voluntary, treat it as a supplement to the provincial register rather than a replacement.

Three things to look for: the specialty says orthopedic surgery (or neurosurgery for a spine neurosurgeon); the status is active with no restrictions; and the hospital affiliation matches what the surgeon’s profile claims. Fellowship training and subspecialty focus come from the surgeon’s own profile and are worth asking about directly.

How Pathway matches your case to a subspecialist

Pathway’s surgeons are fellowship-trained and Royal College certified, and each practises within a subspecialty. Before your consultation, Pathway’s care team gathers your records, imaging, history, and goals, and routes your case to the surgeon whose practice fits your condition: a hip arthritis case to an arthroplasty surgeon, an ACL tear to a sports medicine surgeon, a lumbar disc to the spine program. You start the consultation with the right person already holding your file.

Consults in 1–4 business days. Surgery typically 2–4 weeks after consultation and quote approval, performed by Pathway’s surgeons at Pathway’s partner surgical centres in Toronto and Montreal. No referral required. How it works walks through each step.

Quick answers

What is the difference between an orthopedic surgeon and an orthopedist?

In everyday use the words overlap. Orthopedics is the medical specialty that treats the musculoskeletal system, and the AAOS describes it as also being called orthopaedic surgery. In Canada, a doctor who calls themselves an orthopedic surgeon has completed a Royal College-approved residency in orthopedic surgery and passed the certification exam. If someone describes themselves as an orthopedist, check the provincial register to confirm their specialty.

How many years does it take to become an orthopedic surgeon in Canada?

After an undergraduate degree and medical school, Royal College certification requires a minimum of five years of approved residency, the Surgical Foundations curriculum and Principles of Surgery exam, a scholarly project, and the certification examination. Most surgeons then add one or more years of fellowship, so the total after high school is often 13 to 14 years.

Does seeing an orthopedic surgeon mean I will need surgery?

No. The CMA describes orthopedic surgery as roughly half non-surgical and half surgical, and the AAOS notes that a visit does not necessarily mean you will end up having an operation. Orthopedic surgeons prescribe medication, injections, bracing, casting, and rehabilitation, and recommend surgery only when it is the option most likely to help.

How do I check whether an orthopedic surgeon is licensed in Canada?

Search the public register of the provincial regulator: the CPSO register in Ontario and the CMQ directory in Quebec. Both show specialty, registration or permit status, practice restrictions, and disciplinary findings. The Royal College also keeps a voluntary directory of its Fellows.

What does FRCSC mean after a surgeon’s name?

FRCSC is the Royal College designation for a Fellow in the Division of Surgery. The Royal College states that only current, active Fellows and retired Fellows may use it, and that Fellows are specialist physicians or surgeons who successfully completed their certification examinations. Active Fellows must take part in the Maintenance of Certification program.

Questions to ask your surgeon

The AAOS suggests arriving with a list of all medications, a timeline of prior treatments and how well each worked, your imaging, and written questions. Good ones to bring:

• What is your subspecialty, and how much of your practice is this procedure?
• Where did you do your fellowship training?
• Which non-surgical options are still worth trying for my condition?
• What are the most common complications your patients experience after this surgery, and how do you manage them?
• What will recovery involve: weight-bearing limits, bracing, time off work, and time to full healing?
• Which hospital or surgical centre will you operate in, and who follows me afterward?
• Do you recommend I get a second opinion before deciding?

If you are weighing the system you will have surgery in, Pathway’s comparison of private and public orthopedic surgery in Canada and the FAQ cover the next questions most people ask.

References

1. Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. Specialty Training Requirements in Orthopedic Surgery, version 3.0 (2015). Accessed October 21, 2026.
2. Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. Specialty Training Requirements in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (2012). Accessed October 21, 2026.
3. Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. Royal College qualifications and Fellowship designations (2020). Accessed October 21, 2026.
4. Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. Who is included in our directory? Accessed October 21, 2026.
5. Canadian Medical Association. Orthopedic Surgery Profile. Updated December 2019. Accessed October 21, 2026.
6. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (OrthoInfo). Orthopaedics. Accessed October 21, 2026.
7. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (OrthoInfo). Your Visit With an Orthopaedic Surgeon. Accessed October 21, 2026.
8. HealthLink BC. Orthopedic surgeon. Current as of November 30, 2022. Accessed October 21, 2026.
9. HealthLink BC. Physiatrist. Accessed October 21, 2026.
10. Canadian Physiotherapy Association. About physiotherapy. Accessed October 21, 2026.
11. Canadian Chiropractic Association. What is chiropractic? Accessed October 21, 2026.
12. College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario. What’s Public (and What’s Not) About Doctors and the Physician Register. Accessed October 21, 2026.
13. Collège des médecins du Québec. Access the directory of physicians. Accessed October 21, 2026.
14. Canadian Institute for Health Information. Hip replacements in Canada: osteoarthritis and Knee replacements in Canada: osteoarthritis (information sheets, 2025; data from the Canadian Joint Replacement Registry, 2021–2022). Accessed October 21, 2026.

Health information notice: This article provides general information about the orthopedic surgery specialty and cannot replace individual medical advice. Your surgeon and care team set your treatment plan based on your health, your condition, and your goals.