Yes, female orthopedic surgeons exist and practice in every subspecialty of the field, including sports medicine, joint replacement, spine surgery, hand surgery, pediatric orthopedics, trauma, and oncology. Orthopedic surgery has historically been one of the most male-dominated medical specialties, but women have been entering the field in growing numbers for decades.
Women have practiced orthopedic surgery since at least the mid-20th century, though their numbers remained very small for a long time. Organizations such as the Ruth Jackson Orthopaedic Society (named after one of the first women board-certified in orthopedic surgery in the United States) were founded specifically to support and mentor women pursuing careers in the specialty. In recent years, professional bodies like the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) have reported that women make up a small but steadily increasing percentage of practicing orthopedic surgeons and a larger, growing share of orthopedic surgery residents, reflecting a generational shift as more women enter the pipeline through medical school and residency training.
If you're looking for a female orthopedic surgeon specifically — whether for personal preference, comfort, or another reason — you can typically find one through several avenues:
- Ask your primary care physician or referring doctor for a recommendation
- Search hospital or academic medical center websites, which usually list surgeon profiles with photos, credentials, and subspecialty focus
- Use insurance provider directories, which often allow filtering by physician gender
- Check professional society directories, such as the Ruth Jackson Orthopaedic Society, which lists members
- Search online physician-rating platforms that include gender as a searchable filter
Availability of female orthopedic surgeons varies by geographic region and subspecialty — some areas and certain niches (like pediatric or hand surgery) tend to have relatively more women than others (such as adult reconstruction or spine surgery), though this is gradually changing across the board.