Women Delay Joint Replacement

What is it with women? A recent study found that four out of five women with osteoarthritis consider getting knee or hip replacement surgery as a last resort with the result that women spend more time in pain than is necessary. According to writer Michelle Tomkins, more than 30 million Americans suffer from osteoarthritis.

A study conducted online by Edelman Intelligence on behalf of DePuy Synthes, part of the Johnson & Johnson family of companies, examined 266 American women, 45 to 65 years old, who had knee or hip replacement surgery in the last five years as well as 266 additional women of the same age who are planning to have knee or hip replacement surgery within the next two years.

Almost all of the women who received a hip or knee replacement surgery within the last five years felt their lives had been “on pause” prior to their surgery.

They had missed an average of 14.4 days of work six months before surgery.

They had not been able to perform simple actions such as taking walks, climbing stairs.

They found themselves avoiding activities that had previously brought them joy.

Nearly all of the women who had experienced surgery expressed relief and said that they would encourage others with knee or hip pain not to delay talking to their doctor about their options.

More than half of the individuals in the group that opted for surgery reported that there had been a specific moment, an event or realization that finally motivated them to have surgery.

For some it was their inability to function in their job—for others it was the length of time they had spent dealing with pain and pain medication.

The conclusion of the survey was that too many women wait too long, experiencing pain, before getting a hip or knee replaced.