What Can I Do To Help My Knee or Hip Implant Last Longer?

Knee and hip implants last – but is there anything you can do to help yours last longer? Alex Dodds, joint surgeon for Gloucestershire, explains.

Doctor Examining Hip Joint Implant*photo courtesy of Denis Simonov via shutterstock

Your knee and hip replacement should last a good while. 10-15 years is the commonly quoted figure. The National Joint Registry, which monitors the performance of all knee, hip and other joint implants (together with the performance of surgeons) states that “most knee replacement patients have less than a 5% chance of needing revision replacement surgery [that is, needing surgery to ‘fix’ their joint replacement] within 13 years of having the original operation.”

This study of National joint Registry data published in The Lancet a few years ago found that 58% of hip replacements were lasting 25 years.

For my hip and knee replacement patients in Cheltenham, Gloucester and the Cotswolds, this longevity is welcome news, naturally. But it’s also entirely natural that patients will want to try and ensure their own implant reaches the top end of those longevity figures.

So what could you do to help prolong the life of your implant?

The weight issue
Weight (or more correctly, obesity) is a contentious issue when it comes to joint replacement. There’s no escaping the fact that the less weight you carry, the less stress you place on your implant – and that will be good news for you and your implant. Yet, if you have been rendered immobile by osteoarthritis, it’s hardly surprising that you’ll find losing weight a challenge.

Rather more surprising is the evidence that, once patients have had their hip or knee replaced and are once again mobile, they still tend not to lose weight.

The fact remains, however, that if you are overweight when you have your joint relaced, it would be a good idea to lose some of that weight post-recovery, if you can.

High impact activities
You occasionally read stories of marathon runners and other elite athletes who defy convention by completing events following hip or knee replacement. As inspiring as such stories are, it’s important to note that such high impact activities aren’t the best way to protect the longevity of your implant.

Like any mechanical apparatus, continual jarring can eventually cause wear and/or a loosening of the parts.

So while you should be perfectly capable of walking, swimming and cycling, the general rule of thumb is you should avoid running or jumping on a joint replacement.

Can you ski with a replacement knee or hip?
One of my colleagues used to advise patients that there was absolutely no way they should ski on a hip or knee implant, for the very reason we’ve just explored.

Things have changed a little, however, and while any form of extreme skiing should be avoided, most joint surgeons are comfortable in saying that ‘sensible’ skiing on a joint implant shouldn’t present problems.

To explore options for your hip or knee replacement, book your appointment at my Cheltenham hip and knee clinic now or call 01242 246549.