Outlook for Joint Replacements
Fewer people may get joint replacement procedures in the future than previously thought. That’s according to research presented recently at the 2018 annual meeting of the American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) in New Orleans. Lead author Matthew Sloan, MD, an orthopedic surgery resident at the University of Pennsylvania, says the number of procedures will continue to rise but at a slower rate.
Knee and hip replacements have been the standard treatment for end-stage arthritis for more than 40 years. During that time, the rate of surgeries has skyrocketed, more than doubling between 2000 and 2008 alone. There has also been an increase in so-called “revision surgeries” – do-over procedures to replace a failed or worn-out implant after the initial surgery.