~~~~TheInternationalNewYorkTimes1
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For someone whose knee is sore and creaky, the prospect of replacing it with a new, metal-and-plastic version of the joint can be beguiling. The surgery seems so easy and to promise so much: better mobility, less pain, an approximation, almost, of youth. But there is growing evidence that knee-replacement surgery may be too seductive — and that many people considering the procedure would be better served to first try other ways to improve their knees.

There’s no doubt that knee replacements are increasingly popular. More than 600,000 such surgeries were performed in 2012, compared with about 250,000 just 15 years ago. But some new studies suggest that people may be electing to have the procedure prematurely and, perhaps worse, gaining limited benefit from it. According to figures from the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, the number of knee replacements in people between 45 and 64 soared by 205 percent between 2000 and 2012; among people 65 and older, the increase was only 95 percent.

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Illustration by Ben Wiseman
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