Why Younger Patients are Having Joint Replacement Surgery

When you think about joint replacement surgery for a bad hip or a bum knee, conventional thinking conjures images of an older patient: someone who is well into their 70s and 80s, and suffering with arthritis or another chronic ailment. In recent years though, more adults in their 50s and 60s — even their 40s — are opting for joint replacement surgery than ever before.

According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), about 790,000 total knee replacements and 544,000 hip replacements are performed annually in the United States. In 2023, about 28 percent of these surgeries were performed on people younger than 55 — and the number is expected to grow. By 2030, people younger than 65 are expected to account for 52 percent of hip replacements and 62 percent for total knee replacements.

Ran Schwarzkopf, MD, professor of orthopedic surgery and site chief at NYU Langone Orthopedic Hospital, performs more than 600 joint replacements annually, and he points to several factors behind this rise.

“Our population is growing and living longer than ever before,” Schwarzkopf says. “This is contributing to a general increase in the number of joint replacement surgeries across all ages. There also is the sports injury factor — more people in their 50s and 60s are living very active lives that include strenuous physical activities and workouts like tennis, aerobics, swimming, and golf. These physical activities can lead to serious injuries and wear and tear on your joints.”

In the past, people in their 50s and 60s often made concessions around their physical activities and learned to live with and manage the pain of joint wear and injury; they put off surgery until they were older. Yet with the development of artificial joints that are expected to last for decades, younger seniors who require new knees or hips are opting for surgery rather than managing their chronic pain. “People want to return to and maintain the levels of activity they were achieving prior to their joint issues,” Schwarzkopf adds.

Last year, an AAOS study showed that people 55 and under had worse pain, function, and quality of life compared to patients 75 and older. While some saw improvements with nonsurgical approaches like physical therapy and steroid and gel injections, others opted for surgery with the knowledge that they can recover fully and participate optimally in post-surgery rehabilitation.

There are some steps you can take to avoid joint damage leading to joint replacement surgery. Top of the list for Schwarzkopf is maintaining a good body weight: “Your lower joints are like shock absorbers — they take all of the impact of daily activities and exercise. When they are carrying too much weight, these daily activities become more strenuous on your joints.”

Schwarzkopf says that younger patients who opt for joint replacement surgery have excellent outcomes — and can typically return to the same daily activities and level of exercise they were at before their injury. But he also offers some strong advice: “I caution them that we did not implant a bionic knee. Most want to ramp things up to where they were before the surgery. I caution them to follow their physical therapy and not overdo it. In a short while, they’ll be back to normal and feeling great.”

The Sports Health experts at NYU Langone have the multi-specialty expertise to provide coordinated, comprehensive care for all types of athletes. As an official healthcare partner, Life Time can offer its members exclusive direct and easy access to NYU Langone’s world-class orthopedic specialists and performance experts, who can help you meet your health and fitness goals. To schedule an in-person appointment or video visit with a Sports Health expert, visit https://nyulangone.org/care-services/sports-health/request-appointment-lifetime.