Figures show that the number of knee replacement surgeries performed in the U.S. each year has increased by nearly 57 percent since 1999, to a whopping 418,000 in 2003, the latest year for which figures are available. Many of the surgical procedures have been performed on individuals who haven’t yet reached official retirement age.
Gary Knudson, orthopedic surgeon with Franciscan Wheaton Health Care in Cedar Falls, Iowa, notes that these “younger” seniors wish to stay active long after they’re no longer working outside the home.
“It's not just a matter of everyday aches and pains," he said. "They're having significant troubles staying active, doing the sports they like."
But, Knudson adds in an article penned by the Cedar Valley Courier, the surgery may not allow the patients to do everything they once did. Running or jogging, he notes, are activities that may not be reinstated, even after surgery, due to their high impact on the knees and other joints.
Opting for surgery at a somewhat younger age may backfire as well, notes Knudson. People who try to do too much with their new artificial knee risk wearing it out in a relatively short amount of time, which is why many doctors don’t suggest such surgery for younger individuals who are still fairly active. When chemicals in the plastic knee disintegrate, they can also eat away at real bones, causing a serious disorder known as osteolisis.
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