Boomers are going bionic, and they want joint replacements to let them do it all (Boston Globe byRobert Weisman )
For a generation that pounded its joints doing aerobics, running marathons, and carving up the ski slopes, it’s time to roll out the spare parts.
Take Elliott Francis, 64, who had his second hip replacement surgery in February. Growing up, he was “a jumper and a rebounder,” he said, scooping basketballs off the rim during Roxbury pickup games and later playing in high school and college.
“We thought we’d be young forever,” said Francis, who co-anchors a radio news program in Washington, D.C. “The big wake-up call is when our bodies wear down.”
Baby boomers, determined to keep moving no matter what wear and tear and arthritis have wrought, are fueling a surge in joint replacements. Taking advantage of improved artificial joints and surgical methods, aging Americans are getting so many new hips, knees, shoulders, and ankles that orthopedic surgeons are having trouble meeting the demand.
Hip replacements in the United States more than doubled between 2000 and 2014 — from 160,282 to 371,605 a year — according to the most recent data from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization ...
