Joint replacements - one of the great success stories in modern medicine, says arthritis charity
EVERY year around 50,000 people in the UK will have a hip replacement. Another 30,000 or so will have an artificial knee joint. And a further 10,000 will undergo surgery to replace their elbow, shoulder, or the knuckles in their hands.
The majority of these people will experience between 10 and 20 years of a blissfully pain-free existence, often after years of suffering from crippling arthritic conditions.
Leading medical research charity the Arthritis Research Campaign highlighted the phenomenal success of joint replacement surgery over the past few years during its Research Week (June 7-13).
The awareness week focused on ever-better surgical techniques and materials, and the resulting benefits for thousands of arthritis sufferers. It also aims to restore public confidence in joint replacement, following public concern earlier this year over the failure of one type of hip replacement.
"We can state with confidence that joint replacement, particularly of the hip and knee, is and remains one of the glittering surgical advances," said Professor Fred Heatley, a leading orthopaedic surgeon at St Thomas' Hospital in London.
"Never before has surgery produced such consistent, high quality results for so many for so long. Patients who are facing hip or other joint replacement can have very good grounds for confidence that they will lose their pain, and that their joint will give them improved function and a better lifestyle."
The ARC is currently spending around £1.5m on developing improved artificial joints; prolonging the joints' lifespan in order to prevent the need for revision surgery; and reducing levels of post-operative infection.
Two ARC booklets, A New Hip Joint and A New Knee Joint, are available on this web site or printed copies are available using the educational resources order form.
