New Hope For Knees Ageing

Knee-replacement surgery can dramatically lessen pain and return you to the activities you love, but it’s not the answer for everyone.

- Richard Laliberte

A power drill whirs noisily—shavings curl from the bit as it bores a precise hole. Cement oozes from a caulking gun to join two surfaces. A hammer whacks repeatedly on metal. Behind the workers, a busy crew shares measurements and part sizes.

It's the sounds of renovation, but it's not a new kitchen. In a hospital in Philadelphia, a medical team led by orthopaedic surgeon Dr Matthew Austin is replacing a knee joint. It's his fifth surgery of the day.

Three hours after surgery wraps up, Ralph Gabriel, then 69, the construction-business owner upon whom those tools whirred and banged, is awake and joking with his family. He didn't want surgery. But years of tile installation had destroyed his right knee, creating constant pain. ''You have to have the will to get it done," Gabriel says.

Lessening The Pain The human knee is particularly vulnerable to wear. Every step, every jump, every crossing of the legs, puts stress on the joint. When you combine the active lifestyle of the over-50 population and longer life spans, it's no wonder that an increasing number of people are experiencing knee pain. There are many short-term remedies, such as weight loss, physical therapy, injections and supplements, but for a perpetually painful or arthritic knee, the go-to solution is to replace it.

Put simply, an artificial knee works as a multidirectional hinge that connects the bottom of your femur (the upper leg bone) to the tibia (the shinbone). To install it, surgeons remove damaged cartilage and bone and connect the artificial knee to your bones. The surgery takes about an hour and is done with the patient under local or general anesthesia.