Book excerpt: This issue of Emergency Medicine Clinics, guest edited by Drs. Michael C. Bond and Arun Sayal, focuses on Orthopedic Emergencies. This is one of four issues each year selected by the series consulting editor, Dr. Amal Mattu. Articles in this issue include, but are not limited to: Emergency Medicine Orthopedic Assessment: Pearls/Pitfalls; Emergency Orthogeriatrics: Concepts and Therapeutic Considerations for the Elderly Patient; Pediatric Orthopedic Emergencies; The Emergent Evaluation and Treatment of Hand and Wrist Injuries; The Emergent Evaluation and Treatment of Elbow and Forearm Injuries; The Emergent Evaluation and Treatment of Shoulder, Clavicle and Humerus Injuries; The Emergent Evaluation and Treatment of Pelvic, Hip and Femur Injuries; The Emergent Evaluation and Treatment of Knee and Leg Injuries; The Emergent Evaluation and Treatment of Ankle and Foot injuries; The Emergent Evaluation and Treatment of Neck and Back Pain; Risk Management and Avoiding Legal Pitfalls in the Emergency Treatment of High-Risk Orthopaedic Injuries; Sports Medicine Update: Mild Traumatic Head Injury; Pain Management for Orthopaedic Injuries; and Ultrasound Imaging in Orthopaedic Injuries.