More Americans are undergoing knee replacements and at younger ages than in the past, according to U.S. News & World Report.
Here are six points:
1. Between 2000 and 2010, more than 5.2 million total knee replacements were performed in the United States, according to data from the National Hospital Discharge Survey, reported in U.S. News & World Report.
2. The knee replacement procedure is the leading inpatient surgery performed on adults 45 years and older. Researchers found the rate at which middle-aged and older Americans undergo knee replacements has nearly doubled between 2000 and 2010.
3. Patients are not putting off the knee replacement procedures. Rather, the average knee replacement patient was 66 years old in 2012, as opposed to an average age of 69 years old in 2000.
4. Surgeons are performing the procedures sooner than in previous years to prevent physical deterioration. Also, patients want to maintain activity levels.
5. Women are more likely to get a knee replacement than men. In 2010, approximately 65 of every 10,000 women aged 45 or older got a knee replacement as opposed to about 45 of every 10,000 men of similar age.
6. Technology has also improved allowing for the longevity and knee and hip implants. The implants can sometimes last up to 15 years or longer.
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