Traumatology

Traumatology (pronunciation: traw-muh-TOL-uh-jee) is a branch of medicine that deals with the study and treatment of wounds and injuries caused by accidents or violence to a person, and the surgical therapy and repair of the damage. Traumatology is a subset of surgery and other specialties such as orthopedics, which focuses on the musculoskeletal system, and neurosurgery, which focuses on the nervous system.

Etymology

The term "traumatology" comes from the Greek word "trauma" which means "wound" or "injury", and "-logy" which means "study of".

Related Terms

Trauma: A physical injury or wound caused by external force or violence.
Trauma center: A hospital equipped and staffed to provide comprehensive emergency medical services to patients suffering traumatic injuries.
Trauma surgery: A surgical specialty that utilizes both operative and non-operative management to treat traumatic injuries.
Trauma team: A group of healthcare professionals that are trained to provide rapid, initial assessment and treatment to patients with traumatic injuries.
Polytrauma: The condition of having multiple traumatic injuries.
Orthopedics: The branch of medicine dealing with the correction of deformities of bones or muscles.
Neurosurgery: The medical specialty concerned with the prevention, diagnosis, surgical treatment, and rehabilitation of disorders which affect any portion of the nervous system.