Total Hip Replacement on the Rise Among Younger Patients

When most people think of hip replacement surgery, they imagine an older person, perhaps someone who has suffered a fall and broken a hip. While that used to be the norm, the demographics are shifting. Total hip replacement is becoming increasingly common in younger patients.

At IBJI and around the country, specialists are seeing more patients in their 40s, 50s and early 60s who are opting for hip replacement surgery. These younger hip replacement candidates are living with pain, often caused by arthritis. Many are unwilling to live with that chronic pain and are also unwilling to give up the activities that they love. So they are opting for joint replacement surgery.

Overall, hip replacement surgery has grown in popularity in recent years. More than 427,000 total hip replacements were performed in the United States in 2012 (Source: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality). As the overall number has grown, the age demographics have shifted. According to a study published earlier this year by the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, patients aged 45-64 accounted for 31 percent of the total hip replacements completed in 2001. By 2011, that percentage had risen to 42 percent.

“Many of our hip replacement patients are well under 65,” said Dr. Stanford Tack of IBJI. “These are adults who are not willing to exchange an active lifestyle for a sedentary existence,” according to Tack, who himself recently underwent total hip replacement at the age of 56 “Hip replacement surgery can eliminate the pain and help us return to the activities we love, like golf, skiing, or whatever that may be,” said Tack. “I was back at work in two weeks,” explained Tack, “and my job as a surgeon is a fairly physical one. With newer tissue-sparing techniques that we have pioneered, we have dramatically reduced recovery times and patients understand what an enormous benefit that is. They want to get this problem taken care of and return to life without pain.”

IBJI physicians perform more than 7,000 joint replacements annually, helping their patients move better and live better. For more information about total hip replacement options, please visit ibji.com/services/.