Need hip or knee transplants? Get in line.

The demand for hip and knee replacements will outpace the number of orthopedic surgeons available to perform the procedures by 2016, according to a study published this month in the Journal of Arthroplasty.

The study was co-authored by Dr. Thomas Fehring, an orthopedic surgeon with OrthoCarolina's Hip & Knee Center in Charlotte.

“The supply of trained orthopedic joint replacement surgeons soon will not meet the demands of our aging society,” Fehring said in a news release.

"Within five years, patients could have to wait up to a year or more to undergo life-altering hip or knee replacement surgery. That kind of delay simply won’t be acceptable to members of the baby boomer generation who are accustomed to living an active lifestyle and expect to maintain it as they enter retirement.”

According to the study, demand for primary and revision joint replacement surgery is expected to double in 10 years as a result of the aging baby boomer population and obesity epidemic in the United States. At the same time, fewer new physicians are electing to specialize in joint replacement surgery, which means fewer physicians will be available to perform the procedures as older physicians retire and are not replaced.


The study’s findings are based on data from the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons’ database; the AAOS Orthopedic Practice in the United States surveys; the Nationwide Inpatient Sample; and the U.S. Census Bureau.