Beyond Arthritis: Hip and Knee Replacements for Women
More and more women are seeking knee and hip replacements to maintain their active lifestyle.
Patients who are willing to work toward rehabilitation can expect excellent recovery and long life for their new joints.
"With the current generation of joint replacements, 90% or greater last 20 years or longer, and 30 years out, it's about 70%," says Mayman. "The range of longevity depends on how active people are. If you're running and jumping on the new joint, it'll wear out a little sooner. It's just like putting new tires on a car. If you drive it to the grocery store, they'll last longer, but if you're drag racing, they'll wear out faster."
Once you've settled on joint replacement surgery, what should you do next?
First, find a specialized surgeon. An orthopedic surgeon who specializes in joint replacement will have much better outcomes than a general orthopedic surgeon.
Studies repeatedly have found that the more of a specific operation a surgeon performs, the better the outcome. So a doctor who's done 100 knee replacements in the past year is probably a better choice than someone who's done five.
Second, know your options. For example, many people think it might be a better option to get a "partial" knee replacement rather than a total knee replacement. It sounds less invasive and easier, right? While that's true, partial knee replacements have their down sides.
"It's a smaller operation and the recovery time is a little faster, and the knee feels more like a normal knee," says Mayman. "But the downside is a higher failure rate." Mayman says his hospital sees a 10% failure rate for partial knee replacements after 10 years. It takes 20 years for total knee replacements to hit a 10% failure.
And what about "hip resurfacing?" That, too, sounds like it might be easier than getting a whole hip replaced. But in this case, the opposite is true. "It's actually a bigger incision with longer recovery time," says Mayman. "It does save bone in the femur, but there are a number of negatives for women."
Beyond Arthritis: Hip and Knee Replacements for Women
More and more women are seeking knee and hip replacements to maintain their active lifestyle.
The Active Patient: Your Role in Recovery continued...
Patients who are willing to work toward rehabilitation can expect excellent recovery and long life for their new joints.
"With the current generation of joint replacements, 90% or greater last 20 years or longer, and 30 years out, it's about 70%," says Mayman. "The range of longevity depends on how active people are. If you're running and jumping on the new joint, it'll wear out a little sooner. It's just like putting new tires on a car. If you drive it to the grocery store, they'll last longer, but if you're drag racing, they'll wear out faster."
Find an Experienced Surgeon for Your Joint Replacement
Once you've settled on joint replacement surgery, what should you do next?
First, find a specialized surgeon. An orthopedic surgeon who specializes in joint replacement will have much better outcomes than a general orthopedic surgeon.
Studies repeatedly have found that the more of a specific operation a surgeon performs, the better the outcome. So a doctor who's done 100 knee replacements in the past year is probably a better choice than someone who's done five.
Know Your Joint Replacement Options
Second, know your options. For example, many people think it might be a better option to get a "partial" knee replacement rather than a total knee replacement. It sounds less invasive and easier, right? While that's true, partial knee replacements have their down sides.
"It's a smaller operation and the recovery time is a little faster, and the knee feels more like a normal knee," says Mayman. "But the downside is a higher failure rate." Mayman says his hospital sees a 10% failure rate for partial knee replacements after 10 years. It takes 20 years for total knee replacements to hit a 10% failure.
And what about "hip resurfacing?" That, too, sounds like it might be easier than getting a whole hip replaced. But in this case, the opposite is true. "It's actually a bigger incision with longer recovery time," says Mayman. "It does save bone in the femur, but there are a number of negatives for women."
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