Could the future of joint replacement be 3D? (Private Healthcare UK)
In the UK, there are in excess of 160,000 hip and knee replacement operations performed every year and that number is just set to rise with an ever-growing aging population experiencing joint wear and tear. Contributing to a rise in overall figures also is the increase in younger patient undergoing replacement operations.
Hip replacements, usually associated with the elderly, has seen a marked rise in the younger patient. Recently released NHS data points to a 76% increase in this operation in men and women under the age of 59.
Stephen Cannon, vice president of the Royal College of Surgeons explained: “Chronic hip pain can have a devastating effect on quality of life and the ability to remain active. People don’t want to live with this pain if they can confidently undergo a hip replacement that’s successful and lasts. It’s no longer seen as a last resort.”
And it’s down in part to technological advances in hip replacements, particularly in relation to prosthetics, that is fueling this increased demand for an end to chronic hip pain in younger patients.
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