Total hip replacement has become one of the most common surgeries in the world with hundreds of thousands being performed each year. Advancements in the longevity of the prosthetics used to replace the hip joint have allowed for the procedure to be performed in younger patients. Further exemplifying the trend, studies show that the fastest growing segment of hip replacement patients are under the age of 60. Many of these patients are not only returning to an active lifestyle but also to the workforce. Until recently there was very little known in the literature for patients, employers and physicians to be able to determine what percentage of hip replacement patients return to work. Furthermore, if the patients were in high-demand jobs including construction or heavy manual labor, there was no information regarding their ability to return to the high-demand jobs.

Dr. Craig Della Valle, Hip and Knee Specialist at Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush, co-authored a study that followed over 900 patients from five centers across the nation. The study found that 90.4% of the patients studied were able to return to their preoperative occupations, with the vast majority being high manual labor jobs. The study also found that only 2.3% of patients were limited in their abilities to return to work due to their hip replacement. "The ability of return to work is a high priority for many patients considering hip arthroplasty surgery, especially for younger and more active patients," said Dr. Ryan Nunley, Assistant Professor at Barnes Jewish Hospital and co-author of the Return to Work study. "As a result of our study, we now have the data that will help physicians better educate their patients about their ability to return to gainful employment after hip replacement surgery."

Read PubMed abstract at: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov