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Joint Replacement a Balancing Act

42 views · Published 27 July 2014 · 1:47 · Indexed 6 November 2026

Channel: Lee Health · 2014 · Science & Technology

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When you pair an aging population with an active population, you have millions of people who want to enjoy life without limits.

“People are getting physiologically younger. More people are wanting to do increased activities well into their later years,” explains orthopedic surgeon Dr. George Markovich. He is on the medical staff of Lee Memorial Health System.

With high expectations, millions of Americans are buckling under the pressure. At least their joints are. Whether it’s triggered by an old injury or arthritis, achy knees and hips become a huge problem.

“The bone starts rubbing on the bone, some deformity occurs and it becomes a vicious cycle of process, digressing to the point where you can’t stand the symptoms anymore,” says Dr. Markovich.

Taking action early helps people hang on to their joints. Interventions like physical therapy, injections or arthroscopic procedures may slow the degeneration. But waiting too long to try surgery can also have a downside.

“As far as joint replacement that should be the last resort. But if you wait and wait and wait you’re not going to do as well,” says Dr. Markovich.  “So it’s really kind of a balancing act.”

Here’s some signs it may be time to consider surgery: 

“A person that has reached a point where it’s disabling. More bad days than good days in a given month. The medicines aren’t controlling the symptoms anymore. Interfering with sleep. Then it’s better in terms of the ultimate results,” Dr. Markovich says.

Balancing daily discomfort against surgery and downtime is a decision that deserves a thoughtful process. 

View More Health Matters video segments at leememorial.org/healthmatters/

Lee Memorial Health System in Fort Myers, FL is the largest network of medical care facilities in Southwest Florida and is highly respected for its expertise, innovation and quality of care. For nearly a century, we’ve been providing our community with everything from primary care treatment to highly specialized care services and robotic assisted surgeries.

Visit leememorial.org

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