A recent study evaluated incidence of obesity in patients undergoing a knee replacement. Authors from the OrthoCarolina Clinic reviewed the incidence of obesity in patients undergoing total knee replacements in 1990, 1995, 2000, and 2005. The incidence of obesity, defined by a body mass index greater then 30, rose from 30% of patients undergoing total knee in 1990 to 52% of patients undergoing knee replacement in 2005. The average BMI for patients undergoing knee replacement in 1990 was 27.8 and for those in 2005, 31.3. This change in weight has some impact on the incidence of knee arthritis and is a major problem for healthcare in the United States. As more attention is paid to health and well-being, it is hoped that the issue of obesity will be tackled and hopefully we will decrease some of the need for knee replacement in the future.
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