University of Michigan experts say the number of baby boomers receiving knee replacements is surging – and could outpace the number of surgeons available to perform the procedure.

According to U of M statistics, in just several years the number of annual knee replacement surgeries rose to half a million from just 300,000 to 350,000.  Experts predict that number could top 3 million in 10 years.

“A recent study that looked at trends in joint replacement found that although the number of orthopedic specialists who do joint replacement is going to increase by about 2 percent, the need for orthopedic surgeons is going to increase by 500 percent,” said Dr. J. David Blaha, orthopedic surgeon at the University of Michigan Health System.  “That’s a problem of epic proportions.”

In the past. Blaha said knee replacements were performed on very old patients suffering from osteoarthritis.  Today, patients are much younger and are often people who want to maintain their quality of life, including physical activities.

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