As people age the cartilage and discs can become injured, damaged and fragmented. This causes the bone to rub on bone as people walk and run. This condition can’t be changed with medication, injections or surgical repair. Instead physicians will recommend a knee replacement to decrease the pain and improve function.
Once a knee joint has been replaced the joint isn’t as strong or repairable as the bodies own joint. In a study of hip and knee replacement published by Mayo Clinic, the surgeons did recommended sports which included swimming, sailing, scuba diving, golfing and bowling while those that weren’t recommended include running, water-skiing, football, baseball, basketball, hockey, handball, karate, soccer and racquetball. Basically it boils down to sports that are high or moderate impact sports aren’t recommended because they cause damage to the implanted knee joint. While the damage to the joint doesn’t result in pain it does result in decreased function and subsequent need for another replacement.