Stop Treating The MRI
The baby boomers have entered the orthopedic surgery stage, bringing the overall statistics of orthopedic surgery in America to a new level! In 2009 Americans ages 45 to 64 had approximately 116,000 hip replacements, and 97,000 knee replacements between 2004 and 2009. Predictions of future numbers are astounding. It is estimated that by 2016, half of all knee-replacement patients will be in the boomer baby age bracket and by 2030, almost a million boomers nationally will have artificial knees.
However, baby boomers are not the only ones raising the numbers. According to the AAOS there is a rapid rising in the number of knee injuries across the nation. It is reported that in 2009, more than four million Americans visited physicians for meniscus tears, more than double from 2000. Nevertheless, not every torn meniscus requires fixing. A study in the New England Journal of Medicine showed that out of 991 people, 30% of women and 42% of men had a torn meniscus. Yet, only 61% of these patients were experiencing pain. Hence the famous line, “Treat the patient, not the MRI”.
