Orthopaedics and Traumatology The Essential Guide is a completely new textbook in the English language, but has a long history in the Netherlands. For physicians and medical students, physiotherapists and students, general practitioners and orthopaedic nurses: this textbook has been the main source of orthopaedic knowledge for decades.Orthopaedics and Traumatology The Essential Guide deals with the diagnosis and treatment of the most common disorders of the musculoskeletal system, both surgical and non-surgical. It is made up of four sections: basic knowledge, traumatology, orthopaedics in children and adult orthopaedics. To make studying easier, the text is interspersed with interludes, key points and more than 500 illustrations. All authors are experts in their fields.Lower back pain and other musculoskeletal disorders are among the disorders with the greatest burden of disease. This burden will increase with the continued ageing of our global population. However, orthopaedic disorders and injuries can occur not only in the elderly, but at any age. They may cause disability, reduce quality of life and sometimes lead to loss of independence. As a result, the costs to society are high. Fortunately, there is an increasing number of successful treatment options.When  treating orthopaedic and trauma patients, close cooperation and efficient communication is essential between doctors of different medical specialities, between primary and secondary care, and between doctors and paramedics. We expect this book to be invaluable in medical and paramedical training.The complete book is available online with access to embedded videos and deep links. You can also test your new competencies and knowledge using case studies and tests at the end of each chapter.