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Could you settle an argument for me? I say more men have total knee replacements because women don't have anyone willing and able to look after them after surgery. My daughter says I'm gender-biased and don't know what I'm talking about. Who's right?

You are both right. Up until age 90, more women than men have total knee replacements (TKR). According to a study of Medicare claims for adults over age 65, two-thirds of the TKRs were done in women. One-third were men. Presumably this is because more women have arthritis than men do.

Fewer women have TKRs as they get older because older women are more likely than older men to be living alone. Lack of family or social support might explain fewer numbers of older women having TKR.

Reference: 

Nizar N. Mahomed, MD, ScD, et al. Epidemiology of Total Knee Replacement in the United States Medicare Population. In The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery. June 2005. Vol. 87-A. No. 6. Pp. 1222-1228.

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