Objective To investigate the orthopaedic inpatients’ disease and cost constitution of the Third People’s Hospital of Chengdu during 2008-2010, so as to provide detailed baseline data for further research on the factorial analysis of disease burden and effective intervention. Methods The medical records of inpatients in orthopaedic department of the hospital during 2008-2010 were collected, and the diseases based on the first diagnosis on discharge records were classified according to the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10). Results During 2008 to 2010, the total number of inpatients increased year by year. Most of the male inpatients were the young and middle-aged, while the female were the old. The rank order of top 5 systematic diseases didn’t change, while there were 6 single diseases kept ranking as top 10 in those 3 years. The average cost per capita averagely grew by 8.97%. The top 3 constitution of hospitalization cost remained the same, which were material cost, drug cost, and treatment cost; while the top 3 payment modes of hospitalization cost were patient’s own expense, social security, and public expense. Among those payment modes, social security rose obviously, and patient’s own expense reduced generally. Conclusion a) The total number of inpatients increases yearly during 2008-2010, and the gender and age distribution of inpatients are tending towards stability. b) The spectrum of disease and single diseases classified according to the one-level code of ICD-10 are relatively stable in those 3 years; of which the top ranked disease is lumbar disc herniation, and the disease with most obviously rising trend is intertrochanteric fracturethe. c) The hospitalization cost per capita rises year by year, of which the constituent ratio of both material and examination costs grow obviously, but the operation, treatment and bed costs are still lower. It requires a multi-pronged approach to control the increase of hospitalization cost as well as the rationalization of cost constitution. d) Among all payment modes of hospitalization cost, the constituent ratio of patient’s own expense reduces year by year, while social security rises, indicating the medical security in national social security has been further expanded.