Increasing obesity rates linked to need for knee surgery earlier in life, study finds

A new study led by orthopaedic surgeons has found that obesity is linked to higher instances of patients undertaking knee replacement surgery for osteoarthritis. Photograph: Mindful Media/Getty Images

A rise in the number of people undergoing knee replacement surgery earlier in life has been linked to increasing rates of obesity, new research reveals.

A study, led by orthopaedic surgeons, examined patients who required knee replacement surgery for osteoarthritis, the most common form of arthritis and which affects the joints. The study used the latest available data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ National Health Survey and the Australian Orthopaedic Association’s National Joint Replacement Registry.