Having a total knee replacement surgery isn’t usually the first or best option for a patient, but it is becoming a rather popular procedure. Whether it is from old age or because a person’s knees are giving out because of having a BMI that is over 30, the demand for this procedure is increasing quite dramatically every year. Some estimates put the figure at a 95% increase for knee replacements since 1993 and the main contributing factor is obesity.
Statistics on Total Knee Replacement
1. More than 4.5 million Americans are currently living with at least one total knee replacement.
2. The total population above the age of 50 that has a total knee replacement right now: 4.7%.
3. Nearly 1.5 million of those with a primary total knee replacement are 50 to 69 years old.
4. Over 650,000 knee replacements were performed in 2010.
5. 9 out of 10 knee replacement surgeries are total knee replacements.
6. 5% of people who need a total knee replacement get both knees done at the same time.
7. Between 1997-2009, total knee replacement increased by 84% in the American population.
8. The current rate of knee replacement surgeries: 22 per 10,000.
9. 63% of the patients who receive a total knee replacement are women.
10. The rate of knee replacements from 1997-2009 increased at a 57% higher rate than it did for men.
11. 1 in 10 of Americans above the age of 80 are currently living with at least one total knee replacement.
12. In the United States, total knee replacement surgeries are far more common in the South than any other region. The rates are 2x more than in the Northeast or the West.
13. 95% of patients today report that they are satisfied with their total knee replacement.
14. The percentage of patients that are still going strong on their knee replacement after 10 years of use: 90%.
15. 90% of people who have this surgery done report having dramatic levels of pain relief.
16. 80% of the the knee replacements that occur are able to last for at least 20 years.
17. Only 7.5% of patients who receive this surgery have complications with 90 days of having the procedure completed.
18. More than 54,000 total knee revision surgeries are performed in the United States annually.
19. Only 4 out of every 100 total knee replacements is due to an issue that isn’t related to osteoarthritis.
20. By 2030, it is estimated that over 67 million Americans are going to suffer from some form of osteoarthritis.
21. Most knee replacement patients are up and walking with a cane or walker in 1-2 days with modern pain management techniques.
22. Over half of adults in the U.S. diagnosed with knee osteoarthritis will undergo a total knee replacement.
23. The ranges of knee osteoarthritis range from 1.6% to 11.9% in men and from 2.0% to 10.9% in women.
More Facts About Knee Replacement
The greatest demand isn’t coming from the elderly age demographics. It is coming from the younger generations that are struggling with their weight. There are strong links between the levels of knee osteoarthritis that occur in people and higher levels of a body mass index. Combined with the fact that patients between the ages of 18-64 are experiencing a more rapid rise in higher BMI levels, the results seem to speak for themselves.
This is especially true when looking at the data about how much doctors and hospitals are compensated for knee replacement surgeries. A total knee replacement reimbursement has actually declined per operation since 1995, yet the total amount of surgeries has increased over the same time. This has many surgeons prepared for further increases in the amount of total knee replacements that will be required in the future if the current trends of obesity continue to rise.
As the statistics below show, a total knee replacement might be becoming a common procedure, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t serious considerations that need to be made before going under the knife. Proactive preventative measures should be taken before a surgery is required, including the addition of healthy eating habits, to prevent the need for this surgery in the first place.
Why Do Knee Replacements Happen
Taking care of our bodies needs to become a top priority. Getting a total knee replacement should be a last resort option, but unfortunately it seems to be a first-resort option in an increasing manner.
Part of the issue may not be a lack of wanting to have eating habits that are healthy, but an inability to actually afford healthy eating habits. For those in the Middle Class, family wages have been static since 1980. This means that the average person who may be considering a total knee replacement earns the same value of money as when they first started out in their career. That’s the issue that Americans are facing in an ever increasing way. Poor nutrition comes with low income levels and that creates the conditions for a total knee replacement to become necessary.
That’s not to say there isn’t a certain level of personal responsibility involved. Americans don’t generally exercise as much as they should and there is more of a sedentary lifestyle practiced now more than ever before. That also sets the conditions for a total knee replacement to become necessary. That’s why focusing on weight loss and healthy living habits now is so important. By changing habits today, a surgery may not be needed tomorrow.
The good news is that surgery rates are highly successful and those that have received a total knee replacement are happy with the results by an overwhelming majority. There’s only a 20% chance that a total knee replacement won’t be functional two decades from now and that’s a testament to modern medical technology. Could these figures get even better as medical science continues to improve? That’s a very real possibility… but the best course of action to take is to reduce the risks of needing a surgery in the first place.