American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Celebrates 75th Anniversary With Interactive Web Site

ROSEMONT, IL--(Marketwire - June 12, 2008) - Have you or someone you know ever had an orthopaedic procedure -- a knee, hip or shoulder replacement? How were those implants developed and how have they improved over time? Are you or someone you know battling osteoarthritis? Do you know a child who has overcome scoliosis or club feet?

Today, orthopaedic issues are one of the top reasons people in the United States seek medical treatment. As part of its 75th Anniversary celebration the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) has documented its 75 years of existence through an interactive Web site, whereby site visitors can watch a film on the history of orthopaedics, learn about orthopaedic inventions, examine fascinating pieces of orthopaedic-related artwork and read through life altering patient stories.

This multi-media Web site, aaos.org/75years, transports visitors along the history of orthopaedics through a multi-media digital timeline with personal stories from both patients and orthopaedic surgeons. The digital timeline also chronicles the great strides made in the treatment of orthopaedic conditions from the beginning of the 20th Century to the present.

Easy to navigate and highly interactive, this Web site is not only for orthopaedic surgeons, but for anyone who has experienced a musculoskeletal condition or knows someone who has. Former orthopaedic patients and their families familiar with joint replacement, sports injuries or plantar fasciitis are encouraged to navigate through the site and click through pictures, graphs and personal patient stories. It is a tool to educate, inform, enlighten and entertain.

During the Academy's history, tuberculosis, polio, war wounds, automotive trauma, and an aging population that desires a more active lifestyle have all influenced and focused the growing specialty. In 1933, there were probably fewer than one thousand surgeons who called themselves "orthopaedic" physicians in the Americas; today there are more than eighteen thousand orthopaedic surgeons in the United States alone. In the intervening years, orthopaedic surgeons have evolved from "brace and buckle" doctors to today's finely skilled surgeons responsible for head-to-toe musculoskeletal care.

Visit aaos.org/75years and interact with the following:

-- Digital Timelines - Go on an historical adventure where you can view more than 1,500 events that have taken place through the history of orthopaedics, via text, images, audio and video.

-- Orthopaedic Allegro - Watch a short, 3-minute film showcasing a stunning visual display of photographs from the last 75 years set to heart-pounding music with a moving, audio tribute to orthopaedics in the 20th Century.

-- eMotion Pictures: An Exhibition of Orthopaedics in Art - Admire the amazing art exhibit created by orthopaedists and their patients portraying the patient and physician perspectives of the orthopaedic specialty and what it has meant in their lives through sculpture, paint, photography and other media.

-- Academy Chronicles - Tour more than 500 actual pieces of Academy history in this three dimensional exhibit. Each item was scaled down and miniaturized to fit on a 5-foot by 7.5 foot display. While viewing this elaborate piece of art, scroll over each item and an interactive box will pop-up showing site visitors a detailed name and description. Academy Chronicles is on display in the lobby of the AAOS headquarters in Rosemont, Ill.

-- Moving Pictures: The Film - Watch this historical film of which reflects the last 75 years of orthopaedic innovation and development by researchers, surgeons, industry and happenstance. The film's story is conveyed largely through the personal stories of orthopaedic surgeons and their patients.

-- Moving Stories: The Exhibit - Unfold the history of orthopaedics through this traveling exhibit. Moving Stories tackles major subjects and strides including the Academy's history, the New Century, Polio, The War Years, Scoliosis, Joint Replacement, Specialties, The Future and Orthopaedic Industry.

-- Moving Stories: Seventy-five Years of Orthopaedic Surgery - Become immersed and educated in a coffee table book rich with images, personal stories and timelines, noting the significant events in the last 75 years of orthopaedics.

-- Getting It Straight: A History of American Orthopaedics - Scan this historical orthopaedic reference book written by Henry H. Sherk, MD, which documents the development of the specialty and medical advances in areas such as fracture care, manipulation and surgery, as well as includes a history of the AAOS and other orthopaedic societies.

More information about the AAOS

An orthopaedic surgeon is a physician with extensive training in the diagnosis and non-surgical as well as surgical treatment of the musculoskeletal system, including bones, joints, ligaments, tendons, muscles and nerves.

With more than 31,000 members, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (www.aaos.org) or (www.orthoinfo.org) is the premier not-for-profit organization that provides education programs for orthopaedic surgeons and allied health professionals, champions the interests of patients and advances the highest quality musculoskeletal health. Orthopaedic surgeons and the Academy are the authoritative sources of information for patients and the general public on musculoskeletal conditions, treatments and related issues. An advocate for improved patient care, the Academy is participating in the Bone and Joint Decade (www.usbjd.org) – the global initiative in the years 2002-2011 – the global initiative in the years 2002- 2011 – to raise awareness of musculoskeletal health, stimulate research and improve people’s quality of life.

To view a media-rich version of this release, go to: http://www.pwrnewmedia.com/2008/aaos061108_2/index.html

Contact Information: For more information, contact: Lauren Pearson 847-384-4031 Catherine Dolf 847-384-4034