Post provided by American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
A research study revealed at the 2011 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons shows that more than 90 percent of individuals who undergo total knee replacement (TKR) experience a dramatic reduction in knee pain and a significant improvement in the ability to perform common activities. Most patients who undergo total knee replacement are age 60 to 80.
The study evaluates patient functionality 20 years after knee replacement. Although aging may cause a gradual decline in physical activity, a remarkable functional capacity and activity level continues 20 years or more after TKR.
John B. Meding, MD, study author, said “this research refutes any perception that the importance of a well-functioning TKR diminishes over time because of an overall declining functional status. Elderly people are using their surgically replaced knees for fairly active lifestyles many years after surgery.”
Patients considering knee replacement should talk to their orthopaedic surgeons about the implant’s life expectancy.
