2 in 100 Americans Have Artificial Joints

It has been estimated that well over two percent of all Americans have had their knees or hips replaced with artificial joints, according to the first major study on join replacement prevalence in the United States.

The study, conducted by Dr. Daniel. J. Berry, chairman of orthopedic surgery at the Mayo Clinic, is scheduled to be presented Tuesday during the start of the annual American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons conference in New Orleans, Louisiana.

According to the study, more than 600,000 knees and 400, 000 hips are replaced in the U.S. each year, maintaining that among all living Americans, about two percent will have artificial joints.

Reasons behind getting an artificial join usually have something to do with loss of efficiency or pain. Oftentimes constant use or serious injury can permanently damage a joint, making replacing that joint the only option available. For instance, sporting baby-boomers, Berry explained, are popular candidates for joint replacement, where knees especially simply get worn out over time.

However, that 2 percent doesn't just include seniors. When Berry's research team looked at join replacement numbers in Americans 50 years old and older, five percent of the demographic was found to be sporting a knee replacement, a hip replacement or both.

This is good news for orthopedists, who claim that statistics such as these will only improve as the baby-boom generation begins to enter late-adulthood. There are preventative measures that can be taken, but joint damage among both the active and the inactive is practically inevitable past a certain age. Among obese individuals for instance, constant weight bearing down on knees and hips was work a joint far more than it was intended to work. Berry's team argues that with two in every 100 Americans already getting a joint replacement, that shows that Americans and their doctors already trust that the procedures are worth the surgery and cost.

Modern join replacements, cost about $20,000 but can often be supplemented with some health insurances. Some experts also argue that the cost is well worth it, where the new join will reduce lost work days and improve a quality of life that is worth double what was paid.

The results of the study are scheduled to be presented on March 11 at the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons conference in New Orleans, Louisiana. An abstract of the presentation will be released at a later date.

Because these findings have not yet been published in a peer reviewed journal, they are to be viewed as preliminary findings.