Joint replacement surgery is becoming more common due in part to the fact that both surgical techniques and hardware technology have improved greatly in recent decades. Because of this, many adults are pursuing knee replacement surgery at an earlier age. The procedure is helping to reduce pain and keep younger adults active, but many adults in their 40s and 50s wonder if the artificial joint will last the rest of their lifetime.
Can a patient expect their artificial implant to last the remainder of their life, or should they expect to have a revision procedure performed at some point in the future? In today’s blog, we take a closer look at the life expectancy of knee replacement hardware.
Will My Knee Replacement Last the Rest Of My Life?
Nobody wants to undergo a second procedure on their knee after having knee replacement surgery, which is why so many patients ask about the durability and life expectancy of their artificial hardware. Fortunately, we can say that the vast majority of patients can expect their new artificial knee to last the rest of their life without the need for a revision. That’s what we’ve seen in our practice, and that’s what the medical data suggests.
In fact, a recent 40-year study by the Hospital for Special Surgery uncovered the same findings. They found that active young adults who underwent total knee replacement surgery were unlikely to require knee replacement revision in their lifetime, according to results presented at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons 2025 Annual Meeting.
For the study, researchers tracked outcomes of patients 55 years and younger who had total knee replacements between 1977 and 1992. For this study, researchers analyzed outcomes of 81 individuals between the ages of 33 and 55 who have seen 40 years pass since their total knee replacement. They found that 70 percent of these patients had no revision procedures in their lifetime. Moreover, patients were 3-4 times more likely to have passed away after 40 years than to have required a revision procedure.
“As an increasing number of younger adults in their 40s and 50s consider total knee replacement, many wonder how long knee implants last before requiring a revision procedure,” said William J. Long, MD, FRCSC, an HSS hip and knee surgeon and the senior author of the study. “The findings from our study-the largest and longest follow-up of patients under 55 undergoing total knee replacement-confirm that young patients can be confident their initial knee implants will allow them to pursue a high level of activity and more than likely last the rest of their lives.”
But perhaps the most encouraging finding from the study was in regards to a patient’s activity level. In a small subset of patients, researchers asked for self-reported activity data prior to their original surgery. These patients scored a 1.5 on the Tegner Activity Scale, which was the equivalent of being able to work a sedentary job and walk on uneven ground but not hike or backpack. 40 years after their knee replacement, those same patients had self-reported scores that suggested their average Tegner Activity Scale score was 2.7, which was much higher than their pre-op scores. A 2.7 activity score indicates they had the ability to work in light labor occupations and participate in recreational activities like swimming or walking in the woods.
So not only are new knees lasting a lifetime, but they are allowing patients to become much more mobile for decades to come. So if you are considering knee replacement surgery, know that there’s a very good chance it’s the only operation you’ll need on that knee, and that you should regain significant function in the knee for many years. To learn more about joint replacement surgery and your options when it comes to knee pain treatment, reach out to Dr. Botero and his team today at (865) 410-7887.
