[2][3] Hospital for Special Surgery was incorporated in New York City on March 27, 1863, as The Hospital of the New York Society for the Relief of the Ruptured and Crippled,[4] by a group that included Dr. James Knight, a general practicing physician, and Robert M. Hartley, a secretary of the Association for Improving the Condition of the Poor.

[5]: 32  The hospital was founded as a philanthropic effort to provide medical care to injured Civil War soldiers and needy city residents.

[4] In 1899, the hospital opened a pathology laboratory and installed the first X-ray machine four years after Wilhelm Röntgen invented the device.

[11] During World War I, the hospital opened its first male inpatient ward to treat injured sailors, marines, and soldiers.

Snyder published early therapeutic studies on Vitamin D, cinchophen, and gold compounds’ effects on arthritis.

[15] Bull and Coley’s introduction of modern surgery eventually made the hospital the foremost hernia center in the country.

Significant orthopedic advancements in fracture care, wound management, amputation surgery, and rehabilitation resulted from the battlefield experiences of HSS surgeons.

[5]: 184–207 Dr. Richard Freyberg formalized the establishment of a rheumatic disease service at HSS and created fellowships in rheumatology.

[20] Under the agreement, HSS would provide orthopedic and rheumatological services for both organizations and subsequently eliminated the Department of General Surgery and other non-orthopedic surgical specialties.

[23] In 1972, Dr. Philip D. Wilson Jr., MD, was appointed the eighth Surgeon-in-Chief of the Hospital, the same position held by his father thirty-seven years earlier.

In 1974, Dr. Peter Walker, Dr. John Insall, Dr. Chitranjan Ranawat, and Dr. Alan Inglis performed the first successful total condylar knee replacement.

[5]: 295  The hospital also established its first sports medicine clinic and a biomechanics laboratory so surgeons and engineers could collaborate on improving prosthesis design.

[16] In 1980, a major hospital expansion doubled the number of operating rooms from four to eight, with designated areas for performing total joint procedures.

[23] Five years later, the NIH designated HSS as a Specialized Center of Research for the Study of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.

[16][24] In 1989, the hospital opened a new facility on 73rd Street in Manhattan funded by the Dana Foundation, to house the biomechanics laboratory and to provide custom-made prosthetic limb and orthotics services.

[29] HSS shut down all nonessential care during the pandemic and proactively volunteered to temporarily convert two ORs into Covid wards for a period of time, while also taking on non-COVID medical-surgical patients from neighboring Weill Cornell.

[30] In 2021, HSS broke ground on a new 12-story building over FDR Drive at 71st Street, funded by a gift from the Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Foundation.

[40] The journal includes original research, review articles, and case reports on musculoskeletal conditions, diagnoses, and treatment.

[58][59][60][61] Hospital for Special Surgery serves as orthopedic consultants for US Youth Soccer, UFC, and the National Basketball Players Association.

[65] Hospital for Special Surgery is designated as a Medical Center of Excellence by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA).

[68][69] The main inpatient hospital is located at 535 East 70th Street in Manhattan, New York and has 215 beds and 58 operating rooms.

[70] The HSS Research Institute is centered at 515 East 71st Street in Manhattan, New York, where it also houses 20 wet labs.

HSS orthopedic applied research occurs at the Center for Advanced Movement Technologies, at 510 East 73rd Street.

HSS surgical teams perform surgeries at Stamford Hospital and Tully Health Center in Connecticut.

[78][79] Surgeries are performed at the HSS Palm Beach ASC and the NCH North Naples Hospital in Florida.