Clifford Kent Boese, M.D., Orthopaedic surgeon with the Alegent Health Orthopaedic Institute.

Q: My doctor told me that I might need to consider an elbow replacement. Isn't joint replacement for the elderly?

A: Younger patients are demanding joint replacement and don't want to wait until they are severely disabled, on crutches or homebound.

Although knee and hip replacements are the most common forms, joint replacement can be performed on other joints, such as the ankle, foot, shoulder, fingers and elbow. Elbow replacements are far less common than hips, knees or shoulders.

Statistically, six people out of 1 million require elbow replacements. Elbow replacements are most frequently done for rheumatoid disease and other causes of arthritis in older individuals or after trauma associated with a fracture. There is a higher complication rate than with other joint replacements, including infection and loosening of the device. Rheumatoid disease occurs more frequently in women.