Knee replacement surgery is safer and easier to perform today than it was decades ago, but safety isn’t the reason more people are undergoing knee replacement surgery. In fact, not only are the total number of knee replacement operations increasing from years past, the average age of the patient is decreasing. So why are more people undergoing knee replacement surgery, and why is it happening at an earlier age? In today’s blog, we take a look at the driving factor behind a growing number of knee replacement operations in younger patients.
What’s Driving Younger Knee Replacement Surgery?
According to research out of Australia, the leading factor in more people seeking out knee replacement surgery at an earlier age is obesity. Being overweight or obese puts a lot more stress on your knees, and over time this added pressure wears down the joint. Even when you’re just walking or standing, your knees are tasked with handling a heavier load, and that can wear down the protective cartilage and other tissues that help your joints function properly.
The study explored data on more than 56,000 total knee replacement operations, and researchers found that 57.7 percent of those patients were categorized as clinically obese. Other interesting findings from the study include:
- On average, obese patients undergoing total knee arthroscopy were an average of seven years younger than those who were not obese.
- Obese women between the age of 55 and 64 were 17 times more likely to need total knee replacement than those who were not obese.
- Obese men were 5.8 times more likely to knee total knee replacement surgery than those who were not obese.
So while obesity is the driving factor behind more total knee arthroscopy procedures and a younger patient base, the good news is that obesity is highly manageable, and just a little weight loss can go a long way. For example, losing just one pound can remove four pounds of pressure from a weight-bearing joint like the knee, so even modest weight loss can have a huge impact on the long-term health of your knees. Moreover, previous studies have shown that losing 10 percent of a person’s body weight significantly improves symptoms of knee osteoarthritis and can greatly reduce your risk of needing a knee replacement operation.
You don’t need to get down to seven percent body fat in order to make huge improvements for your knee joint health. If you focus on small sustainable changes and strive to lose a couple pounds each month, it’s not unreasonable to take 50-100 pounds of pressure off your knee by the end of the year. It’s also possible that weight loss could get you to a point where you no longer need knee replacement surgery. It won’t help to regrow lost cartilage, but with less pressure on the joint, symptoms may become more modest or non-existent, saving you the headache of a surgery and rehabilitation period.
The single best thing you can do to reduce your risk of needing a knee replacement procedure is to work towards a healthy weight. Small progress goes a long way, so set attainable goals and help preserve the health of your knee joints. If you need help developing a diet and exercise routine to achieve these goals, or you want to talk with a specialist about your knee issues and how to best manage them, reach out to Dr. Botero’s office today.
