If your orthopedist is busier than ever, you shouldn't be surprised. Knee arthroplasties and hip replacements have grown from 1977 to 2005 by 69 and 32 percent, respectively.
And these procedures mostly affect Medicare patients, with three times as many knee arthroplasties for people over 65 than for people aged 45 to 64. The figures are even more dramatic for hip replacements, according to a recent report by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. (Read the report at www.hcupus.ahrq.go/reports/statbriefs/sb34.pdf.)