Total knee replacement is commonly used for elderly people with severe arthritis. However, there are situations where doctors might advise knee replacement for younger people, too.

Knee replacement prostheses can help in situations where the patient is suffering from severe pain of the knee joint and internal medicine is of very little or no help. This is usually a condition associated with wear and tear of knee cartilage that occurs with advanced age.

Younger people can also suffer damage to knee cartilage and subsequent pain, owing to reasons like infections, obesity and accidents/trauma. When this affects the quality of life and when other treatments are not effective, surgeons might consider knee arthroplasty for middle aged and young patients.

Out of the 431,485 knee replacement surgeries that took place in 2004, 8,468 (2%) were performed for people in the 18-44 age group and 157,149 (36.4%) in the 45-64 age group. Over the period between 2000 and 2004, the percentage of knee replacement patients between age 18 and 44 remained at 2% while the percentage for patients aged 45-64 was roughly 33%.

Knee surgery abroad costs much less, as knee surgeons in India, Costa Rica and Mexico have lower overhead costs compared to US surgeons.

How Young is too Young for Knee Surgery?

By conservative estimates, a person who hasn’t still entered his/her sixties is considered too young for knee surgery. The reasons lie in lifestyle patterns rather than biological factors. People in their prime of life tend to be more active, so the replaced joints wear out sooner. This need not be an issue if the patient is careful to stick to low-impact activities.

How is Knee Replacement in Youth Different from Regular Knee Replacement?

Usually, surgeons try to avoid knee replacements in younger people. This is because people lead a more active lifestyle in youth that leads to faster wearing away of the artificial joints. Further, young/ middle aged people have more years to live and chances are very high that they will need second replacements. Revision surgery is more technically difficult and results are not as good as first time replacements.

However, knee prostheses in younger, active patients are durable and effective for about two decades. For instance, in one study conducted in New York in 88 patients aged 55 and below, the success rates were in the range of 84-90% in the first 18 years.

Benefits of Knee Arthroplasty for People in their Prime

Knee replacement surgery can bring enormous benefits to middle aged and young people in terms of quality of life. Young people will want to and need to lead an active life.  Knee replacement can bring relief from debilitating pain and immobility. Benefits of knee arthroplasty include reduced pain and better mobility of the knee joints. Once you have recovered, you will be able to carry out routine activities like walking, shopping and driving.

Mobile-Bearing Prosthesis for Knee Replacement in Younger People

Most people go for fixed-bearing prosthesis. For patients who are young, surgeons may suggest using rotating platform/mobile-bearing knee prosthesis. These are designed for longer performance and less wear. In rotating platform knee implants, the upper and lower components move across a polyethylene insert. This allows for greater flexibility of knee joint movements. Rotating knee replacements can also reduce early wearing. However, compared to fixed-bearing prostheses, rotating implants are not so well equipped to manage imbalances in soft tissues.

Knee prostheses using a new material called Oxinium have been used by some surgeons for the past three years. Advocates of Oxinium claim that it is harder, more scratch-resistant and causes less friction between the femoral part and the plastic tibial surface of the implant, compared to traditional cobalt-chrome prosthesis. However, the long-term efficacy of Oxinium implants is yet to be ascertained.

Non-surgical Treatment Options for Knee Pain in Younger Patients

In knee pain caused by arthritis, treatment starts with exercise, weight management, physical therapy and medications. Exercise and weight management should, under normal circumstances, bring some relief for middle-aged patients with arthritis. Partial or full knee replacement surgery is considered only after these options are exhausted.

Knee Surgery for Younger People Abroad

An increasing number of people from the USA and other western countries are choosing to get their knee replacement in India, Costa Rica or Mexico, thanks to the high-level medical expertise available in these countries at prices much lower than US rates. Total cost of knee joint replacement in Costa Rica, India and Mexico is in the range of $7,000- $13,000 whereas it averages $40,000 in US.

Apart from the cost savings, overseas knee replacement also has the added benefit of being top quality. Well-known hospitals in medical travel destinations like India, Costa Rica and Mexico have highly qualified and experienced medical experts and state-of-the-art facilities. Consider that these hospitals today stand endorsed by thousands of happy people.

Medical Tourism Corporation team visited Hospital Angeles in Tijuana, Mexico. This hospital is part of the largest private hospital chain in Mexico. Procedures offered to medical tourists at this Mexican hospital are Gall bladder Removal, Inguinal Hernial, Umbilical Hernia, Incisional Hernia, Lap Band Inamed, Lap Band J&J, Gastric Sleeve, Gastric Bypass, Arthoscophy, Arthoscophy (Outpatient), Knee Replacement, Hip Replacement and Hip Resurfacing.

Video of Hospital Angeles, Tijuana

Pictures of Hospital Angeles, Tijuana

It took us less than 25 minutes to drive from the San Diego airport to the hospital. Hospital Angeles, Tijuana, is a world-class hospital designed especially to provide state-of-the-art medical care to international patients. The hospital boasts one of the best doctors in its field, supported by an able staff and latest medical technology equipment. Hundreds of people visit Hospital Angeles in Tijuana for Lap Band , gastric bypass & gastric sleeve weight loss surgery.

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The 118-bed hospital has 97 private rooms and is located in an upscale area. It is the first fully integrated hospital in Baja California, meaning it offers complete medical services in-house (outpatient clinic, emergency room, pharmacy, intensive care unit, intermediate ICU, neonatal ICU, intermediate neonatal ICU, X-ray, tomography, MRI, nuclear medicine, fluoroscopy, angiography, fully-equipped laboratory, helicopter landing zone, and medical offices where 135 board-certified doctors practice). More than 50% of the current patients there are from United States.

The hospital is self-contained with its own cafeteria, a pharmacy, ATM, chapel and more, thus providing you everything that you may need during your stay. This is also a major reason why it’s such a popular medical tourism destination in Mexico.

And if you crave for good old American fast food, McDonald’s & Peter Piper Pizza are walking distance from the hospital. And then there is a Cine Mark across the Hospital, too. Not sure if it shows any English movies, though! For people missing a discount club shopping, Sam’s club is around the corner!

Hotel Marriott and a few luxury Mexican Hotels are close by. These are used rarely by the hospital patients, as the patient and one accompanying guest are accommodated in the hospital.

The hallways, waiting rooms, corridor and patient rooms and suites are kept sparking clean and give an impression of a five-star hotel and not a hospital. The walls are decorated with brightly colored abstract art by Tijuana painters. A lot of work, thought and attention to detail have gone in the interior design to make the aura uplifting and the hospital patient-friendly.

The signs are in English and Spanish; many of the staff speak English. For US patients, a dedicated English-speaking staff member is assigned.

The hospital takes special care of its doctors to ensure they are relaxed and are at their best when serving the patients. There is an exclusive hospital club area for doctors that includes a relaxing lounge, exercise gym, jacuzzi, swimming pool, sauna and more.

Medical Tourism Corporation facilitates medical trips to some of the world’s leading hospitals including Hospital Angeles, Tijuana.