Knee Replacement Surgery: A Women’s Health Issue. Delaying Treatment Can

Knee Replacement Surgery: A Women’s Health Issue. Delaying Treatment Can Harm Women’s Long-term Mobility And Quality Of Life

Osteoarthritis, also known as degenerative joint disease, affects more than 20 million Americans-and women are suffering from greater osteoarthritis-related disability than men. Yet the topic of knee replacement surgery is rarely raised when women’s health issues are discussed, even though osteoarthritis plays a significant role in driving the need for joint replacements.

Increased awareness of this issue is critical, since women today often wait too long to undergo knee replacement. By delaying the surgery, women with chronic, disabling knee pain forfeit the benefits of pain reduction, improved mobility and increased quality of life that can be offered by the procedure.

According to a 2000 study in The New England Journal of Medicine, women are three times more likely than men to suffer from continuous knee pain and three times less likely than men to undergo needed knee replacement surgery. They also have worse joint function when they do turn to surgery, which suggests that they wait longer before getting...