Reduction (orthopedic surgery)

Reduction is a surgical procedure to restore a fracture or dislocation to the correct alignment. This sense of the term "reduction" does not imply any sort of removal or quantitative decrease but rather implies a restoration: re ("back [to normal]") + ducere ("lead"/"bring"), i.e., "bringing back to normal." When a bone fractures, the fragments lose their alignment in the form of displacement or angulation. For the fractured bone to heal without any deformity the bony fragments must be re-aligned to their normal anatomical position. Orthopedic surgery attempts to recreate the normal anatomy of the fractured bone by reduction of the displacement.