Look Who it Was Random video

It’s All in the Knees

191 views · Published 19 October 2014 · 1:42 · Indexed 10 November 2026

Channel: Lee Health · 2014 · Science & Technology

Watch on YouTube

When it comes to joint replacement surgery, the knees have it. Its really no surprise, considering they bear the burden of our history, health and habits.

“That’s because we walk on them and stand on them all day,” says Dr. David Heligman. He is an orthopedic surgeon on the medical staff of Lee Memorial Health System. “The knee joints become arthritic much more commonly than the hip joints. We probably perform about three knee replacements for every hip replacement.”

The number of knee replacements in the U.S. almost doubled in the past decade, to 600,000 a year. The most common reason is arthritis. Made worse by injury or overuse, the fault is often in our genes.

“I think the main reason people get arthritic joints, whether it be a hip or a knee, is primarily genetics for most people. It’s a combination of your parents genes that made you that will tell you how long your cartilage will last. Some people their cartilage will last their whole life and some people their cartilage starts to break down in their 30s and 40s,” says Dr. Heligman.

Historically knee replacement was a last ditch surgery for people in the end stage of arthritis - barely functioning at all. Now it is a common choice for the young at heart: middle age or young seniors who expect to stay active.

“Twenty years ago the knee and hip replacements that we were doing didn’t last for more than 10 or 15 years. Now the knee and hip replacement we do last 20-30 probably 40 years and allow people, especially younger people, to stay very active.”

So it may well be true, that when it comes to keeping mobile, it’s all in the knees.

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

More from this channel