Over the years the evolution of orthopaedic surgical techniques led to the development of a plethora of orthopaedic textbooks aiming to present the principles of modern orthopaedic surgical practice in order to contribute to the continuing medical education of all the orthopaedic surgeons in training.

The notion of this book arose during the first years of our training. It was difficult to find a book to refer to as a quick yet thorough reference, prior to performing a surgical procedure.

Our aim was therefore to develop a book that would contain a step-wise approach to performing a surgical procedure. Details have been included such as positioning of the patient, the approach and reduction technique, the implant to be inserted, the protocol of post-operative mobilization, complications to look for, when the patient should be seen in the outpatient clinic and whether the implant should be removed. Intraoperative pictures have been incorporated to allow the surgeon to be aware of all the important issues involved.

The most common trauma procedures that a surgeon in training is expected to perform during his residency have been included. Each procedure has been written by an expert or under the supervision of an expert.

This book is expected to be the companion for the resident in training during the long on-call nights in the hospital while preparing for the operations necessary to help our trauma patients.