Some of our patients have expressed concern in recent days over this study, which found a correlation between orthopedic knee surgery and in increased risk of heart attack down the line.

Although the scare headlines may sound alarming, the truth is more mundane: the study is an observational one, meaning that it was completed without controls or placebos. Although scientists may yield some valuable insights from studies like these, in general they tend to be considerably less reliable than randomized studies.

In this case the observed correlation between knee surgery and later health issues could be due to factors that simply lie beyond the study’s scope, including that many people who require knee replacements already exhibit a higher risk for health issues across the board.

Of course we cannot ignore correlations even if they aren’t directly causal, and this one rightly points toward the value of asiduous follow up care and rehabilitation. Knee surgery is no trivial thing, and the risk of clots and venous thromboemboli are typically higher after any kind of surgery.

To learn more about knee surgery and how we can help you restore a more normal life, contact the San Diego knee surgery professionals at AOSM.

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Tags: orthopedic knee surgery, risks of knee surgery, san diego knee surgery, studies