I would be willing to bet that you know someone with a joint replacement. As of 2015, approximately 7 million individuals in the US were walking around with either a hip or knee replacement, and that number has continued to go up. Why are these numbers so high?
First off, we are living longer lives compared to the generations before us. The population of adults 65 and older is estimated at 73 million (www.census.gov). Living longer means more mileage on our joints. When joints “wear down” from use, this is referred to as arthritis. In today’s medicine the best fix for severe arthritis is a joint replacement surgery.
In addition, the surgical techniques for joint replacements have improved immensely over the last 30 years. After a knee or hip replacement, the typical hospital stay is only 2-3 days (medlineplus.gov) and the patient can expect the replacement to last 15-20 years if all goes well. Your friendly JTOPS therapists can help you through your rehabilitation in order to maximize your function after a joint replacement!
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