Since Nicolas Andry coined the term “orthopedics” in 1741, a field dedicated to correcting musculoskeletal deformities in children, bone and joint medicine (orthopedics) has come a long and glorious way. In 1958, John Charnley established a low-friction hip replacement system, introduced bone cement and laminar flow operating rooms, laying the foundation for modern joint surgery. In 1973, total knee replacement technology matured, and joint surgery has since entered a period of rapid development. After half a century of development, approximately 5 million people worldwide undergo joint replacement surgery every year[
1]. Surgical navigation, 3D printing, and robot-assisted systems have been increasingly adopted to enhance the precision of osteotomy and implant placement[
2-
5]. With the development and popularization of artificial intelligence (AI) technology, digital auxiliary technologies in joint surgery[
6-
7] will achieve a qualitative leap, and the consumed labor and time costs will also be greatly reduced. However, the clinical application of AI in bone and joint medicine still faces prominent technical and operational challenges. Restricted by diverse disease categories and individual differences, AI algorithms show insufficient technical adaptability[
8]. Besides, there is an obvious gap between technological research and clinical demands, which hinders the clinical transformation of relevant achievements[
9]. Moreover, standardized evaluation criteria for AI-assisted diagnosis and surgical planning remain lacking, while issues related to medical ethics and data security also require careful attention[
10,
11]. Against this backdrop,
Intelligent Bone and Joint Medicine emerges as a dedicated platform focused on the application of AI technologies in bone and joint diseases, providing a high-quality and open forum for academic exchange on emerging technologies and methodologies, and promoting the translation of technological advances into clinical practice.
Intelligent Bone and Joint Medicine is committed to publishing high-impact, peer-reviewed basic, translational, and clinical research findings on AI and intelligent technologies in orthopedics and musculoskeletal medicine, with the aim of fostering the innovative advancement of diagnosis, surgical treatment, rehabilitation, and long-term management of bone and joint diseases. The journal focuses on but is not limited to the following areas: (1) AI & intelligent diagnosis: AI-assisted imaging analysis, deep learning, computer vision, radiomics, automated diagnosis, disease prediction, prognostic assessment and personalized treatment planning for musculoskeletal diseases; (2) Joint surgery & intelligent surgical techniques: orthopedic robots, surgical navigation, smart implants, computer-assisted surgery (CAS) and minimally invasive precision surgery applied in joint replacement, spine surgery, trauma orthopedics and sports medicine; (3) Digital orthopedics & biomechanics: 3D printing, digital twin (DT) technology, musculoskeletal biomechanics, gait analysis, motion capture, finite element analysis (FEA) and patient-specific orthopedic solutions; (4) Big data & computational orthopedics: clinical big data, real-world studies, multi-omics integration, predictive models, clinical decision support systems (CDSS) and data-based orthopedic research; (5) Intelligent rehabilitation & digital healthcare: wearable devices, remote monitoring, telemedicine, augmented reality/virtual reality (AR/VR) and AI-driven rehabilitation strategies for postoperative and chronic musculoskeletal disorders; (6) Clinical translation & frontier technologies: safety, efficacy, standardization, regulation and real-world clinical application of emerging intelligent techniques in orthopedics. We welcome submissions across various article types, including original research articles, systematic reviews, meta-analyses, case reports, consensus and clinical practice guidelines, letters, comments, brief reports, and communications.
Intelligent Bone and Joint Medicine is supported by a distinguished international editorial board comprising leading experts in AI and orthopedic surgery, ensuring comprehensive scientific oversight and maintaining the highest standards of academic rigor. Our goal is to establish Intelligent Bone and Joint Medicine as a leading interdisciplinary platform integrating medicine and engineering. We warmly invite you to contribute your valuable work.
The Author(s) 2026. This article is published by Higher Education Press at journal.hep.com.cn.
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