Muscle mass and balance also can be diminished by your lack of activity. If you have a painful joint and your doctor says you re a candidate for a joint replacement, your doctor will probably let you decide when it s time to go ahead with the surgery. Delaying surgery usually doesn t dramatically affect the outcome. One thing you may want to discuss with your doctor is how many years you may be using your joint and at what levels of activity. Those factors may affect the life expectancy of your implant.
Failure rates are lower among older people who put lower demand on the joints.
But joint replacements are being done even on younger people in special circumstances. The benefits to the individual may outweigh problems that will be caused if the implant fails and more surgery is needed to repair or replace it. You and your doctor may want to consider some numbers in making your decision. If, for example, you have your first total hip replacement at age 40, and it lasts 10 or 15 years, you might end up receiving a number of replacements in your lifetime. However, if you can delay your replacement until, say, age 60, you may markedly reduce the likelihood of needing multiple joint replacements during your lifetime.