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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2009
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US Braces for Explosion in Knee and Hip Surgeries

$65B cost will be born largely by public

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(Newser) – The number of hip and knee replacements performed in the US will explode in the next several decades—knee operations surging fivefold and hips doubling—as aging baby boomers opt to stay out of wheelchairs, the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons estimates. The pricetag will reach $65 billion in less than a decade, most of it borne by Medicare and Medicaid, reports Time magazine.

 "We have a perfect storm of an aging population, increased demands by younger patients, a better ability to do the procedures, and increased arthritis in the general population," said an orthopedic surgeon. Also pushing the demand for new joints: the epidemic of obesity, which puts too much strain on the knees and hips.

Scott Grausnick, 43, of Shoreview, Minnesota, has had both of his hips replaced twice. The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons warns of an explosion in joint replacement surgeries in the next decade at a cost of $65 Billion.
Scott Grausnick, 43, of Shoreview, Minnesota, has had both of his hips replaced twice. The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons warns of an explosion in joint replacement surgeries in the next decade...   (KRT Photos)
A Physical therapistworks with a hip replacement patient. The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons warns of an explosion in joint replacement surgeries in the next decade at a cost of $65 Billion.
A Physical therapistworks with a hip replacement patient. The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons warns of an explosion in joint replacement surgeries in the next decade at a cost of $65 Billion.   (KRT Photos)
A surgeon makes a two-inch incision hip replacement surgery at Alliance Community Hospital, in Akron, Ohio. The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons warns of an explosion in joint replacement surgeries in the next decade at a cost of $65 Billion.
A surgeon makes a two-inch incision hip replacement surgery at Alliance Community Hospital, in Akron, Ohio. The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons warns of an explosion in joint replacement surgeries...   (KRT Photos)
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