Myths and Misconceptions in Orthopedics

Myths are the ideas which many people commonly believe but are false with respect to the available scientific evidence of that time. In every popular medical culture, there are beliefs and practices that do not have scientific evidence but are still used widely. Most of them may be harmless, but with time, they have a propensity to get recognized as a “fact” and thereby obscure the real facts. Myths do their work at the emotional level and can, therefore, be more powerful than logic with which it is juxtaposed. Just like any other branch of medicine, orthopedics too has its share of misconceptions. This article aims to create awareness about these myths using a few examples and to critically evaluate even the most ingrained and widespread practices, which are based on tradition and the assertive weight of authority but lack the scientific backing of available evidence.