Knees hurting? Hips aching? Welcome to the joint. Recently, orthopedic surgeons say patients contemplating hip and knee replacements are just as likely to be active (but lame) forty- and fifty-somethings as they are advanced-aged senior citizens.
The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons has noted an increase in the numbers of patients younger than sixty-four opting for total hip and knee replacements.
(In the case of knees, those rates have increased by more than 50 percent.) It’s a phenomenon Fairfield County experts attribute to active lifestyles, obesity, and improved surgical technologies that make replacing joints more appealing.
“One thing that’s driving this is a good thing, and that’s our increased interest in fitness and well-being,” says Dr. Craig Tifford, a sports medicine specialist and orthopedic surgeon with Orthopaedic Surgery & Sports Medicine in Stamford. “You’ve got middle-aged people who are crazy active—running marathons and doing extreme sports—but that leads to more injury, more arthritis and more need for joint replacement.”
The good news is that these younger joint replacement patients also tend to fare better after surgery. Speedier recoveries, and advancements in surgical techniques and new-generation hardware, have made the prospect of replacing joints less intimidating. “So when you see your friend at the golf course teeing off three months after a knee replacement, you’re less likely to balk when it’s your turn,” says Dr. Mark Delos, an ONS orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine specialist in Greenwich. “It’s not grandpa’s knee replacement anymore.”