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replacement
Knee and Hip Replacement
Replacing your joints with an artificial joint is a major operation which works often and usually is safe. However, it does not always work and infection, when it happens, is very harmful. Patients chose to have their joints replaced when the pain and limitation of movement is severe enough to accept the risk of surgery.
Chart 4 and Chart 5 show the fact that in some communities people make the decision for surgery more often than average and in some communities less often than average.
Each patient has to seek out advice to help them decide when surgery is right for them. These charts suggest that patients in some communities decide for surgery more often than patients in other communities.
If every where in Maine were the same the bars on the chart would all be short. We expect that things will be somewhat different in one town when compared to the rest of the state. Bars to the left indicate less often than expected, bars to the right indicate more often than expected.
Our data suggests that where you live is a factor in the decision to have surgery.
We do not think that where you live should be an important factor. Discuss our concern with your primary care provider and your surgeon.
