Jan 24, 2009 12:00 pm US/Central
Doctor: Joint Replacement Surgery Open To All
Patients Between 18-44 Going Under Knife More And More So They Can Assure Themselves Active Lifestyles
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
Joint replacement surgery is usually just for people in their 60s and 70s.
No longer.
More and more young patients are now going under the knife, especially those who want to maintain an active lifestyle, reports CBS station WCBS-TV.
Playing sports is Shannon Buhler's passion. Her talent on the softball diamond landed her a college scholarship, but a bad shoulder ended her career.
After suffering intense pain for several years and multiple dislocations, Buhler decided to undergo shoulder replacement surgery, a procedure that reduced the pain and allowed her to maintain an active lifestyle.
"I wasn't able to play sports anymore or do the things I enjoyed," Buhler said. "I knew I would probably never play basketball and softball again, but I was okay with that as long as I could ski and ride my bike."
That same attitude is responsible for a growing number of hip and knee replacement surgeries in patients between the ages of 18 and 44. Experts say obesity and sports are to blame.
"We have more active youth that are tearing their knees up," said orthopedic surgeon Dr. John David Kelly IV. "They're getting meniscus tears, ACL tears at a younger age."
Kelly says the pain can be intolerable and is triggered by a number of factors.
"If there's excessive pressure, you've lost cushioning and the bone gets stressed, that causes a very, very deep, achy sensation," Dr. Kelly said.
In most cases, surgeons will first choose to perform less invasive procedures to help preserve the joints, resorting to joint replacement only as a final option.
"Once you take a replacement, your only option in the future is more replacement surgery," Dr. Kelly said.
At the age of 21, Buhler knows another surgery or two is in her future. But for now her focus is on becoming an athletic trainer.
"I'm glad I had the surgery done," she said. "I'll miss softball forever, but you can't keep playing it forever, so now I'll have my life ahead of me and that's okay with me."
Joint replacements generally last between 15 to 20 years although some of the new ones may last even longer. Once you have a joint replacement doctors usually recommend only low impact activities to make sure the replacement lasts as long as possible.
Some of the less invasive procedures doctors may consider include: resurfacing, cartilage restoration, and re-alignment.
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