In 2002, more than 760,000 hip and knee replacement operations (total or partial) were performed in the U.S.  That number is certainly higher today.  As people push the limits of their bodies, the medical community is pushing the boundaries of prosthetic joints – an increasingly commonplace solution to severe joint problems, and a very successful one.

Key issues are:

• Who is – and who isn't – a candidate for joint replacement surgery?
• What role do medications play in treatment today, and how safe are they?
• What implant options are currently available?
• Are so-called "alternative" treatments worth considering?
• What can be done to avoid, minimize or postpone severe joint problems?

Joint problems tend to affect older people, but all age groups are susceptible.  These problems – acute pain, loss of mobility, weakness or instability – could result from bone deterioration (osteoarthritis), joint inflammation (rheumatoid arthritis), deformity, physical injury or other causes.  Treatments are many and varied, with joint replacement commonly viewed as a last (yet highly effective) resort.  Exercise, weight loss, physical therapy, medications, magnetic pulse therapy, acupuncture, injections, irrigation – any of these options might provide relief.  They're worth exploring before any decision for joint replacement surgery is made.