Health and Wellness Blog

As many as 70% of Canadians will require orthopaedic surgery in their lifetime.  Most Canadians requiring joint replacement are 65 or older, though there has been a significant increase in adults  45 to 54 years of age needing knee replacement.  Read Hip and Knee Replacements in Canada: Canadian Joint Replacement Registry (CJRR) 2008-2009 Annual Report, a publication by the Canadian Institute for Health Information for more information.

The most common reason for hip or knee replacement (also known as hip or knee arthroplasty) is severe pain and limited mobility as a result of degenerative osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis.

Knee arthroscopy is commonly done to repair or remove torn cartilage, reconstruct a torn cruciate ligament, remove loose bone fragments or inflammed joint linings.  More than 4 million knee arthroscopies are done worldwide each year. 

Surgery might be right for you if:

• You have problems walking, climbing stairs or getting out of chairs or bed
• You have already tried other treatments such as losing weight, physical therapy, using a cane or medications that haven't worked
• You have stopped doing activities that you enjoy such as walking or gardening because you are in too much pain

Watch an animated knee or hip replacement surgery or a knee arthroscopic surgery at the Arthritis Foundation: Surgical Procedures site and read about the types of surgery and their benefits and risks.

The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons website includes substantial fact sheets for both hip and knee replacement as well as knee arthroscopy.  Read the Knee Arthroscopy fact sheet (English only) or the Total Hip Replacement or Total Knee Replacement fact sheets in both English or translated into Chinese.      

For more information about knee arthroscopy go to YourSurgery.com.

Visit the Canadian Orthopaedic Foundation: Care Path Article on Total Joint Replacement for information about what to expect before, during and after your surgery.

To find out how long your wait time for orthopaedic surgery in Ontario is, visit Ontario Wait Times: Orthopaedic Surgery (Bone/Spine) published by the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care.

Check out the Library's recent books about hip and knee surgery for more information.  To see which branch has a copy of the book and to place a hold, click on the title link;

Hip and Knee Surgery	100 Questions and Answers about Hip Replacement	Knee Surgery: the Essential Guide to Total Knee Recovery