Is It Time To Replace My Aching Knee

The new findings are based on more than 8,000 U.S. patients who had or were at risk for knee osteoarthritis and were followed for up to eight years.

One of the lead authors, Dr. Hassan Ghomarawi states: 

"When people wait too long, two things happen," Ghomrawi explained in a university news release. "The osteoarthritis causes deterioration of their function. Some of them wouldn't be able to straighten out their legs, affecting their walking and mobility. When you can't get exercise, you can start to develop other health problems such as cardiovascular problems. You may also become depressed. The overall impact can be huge."

Nearly 1 million knee replacements are performed in the United States each year, and a large increase in that number is expected by 2030, the study authors said.

Another problem with delaying knee replacement surgery is that it's less effective, the research team explained.

"You don't get as much function back when you wait too long; your mobility is still reduced versus somebody who had it in a timely fashion," Ghomrawi said.