We all know that with Boomers approaching 65+, joint replacement procedures are becoming more and more common, right? But the actual statistics are pretty staggering.

For example:

• Over a million joint replacements were performed in the U.S. last year, up from 575,000 in 2000
• One in 30 Americans now has at least one replaced joint, up from one in 60 just 10 years ago
• Knee replacements are projected to increase by 600% in the next 20 years

Thanks to some amazing innovations over the past couple of decades like the female-specific artificial knee and new ceramic joints, the lives of millions have been improved. But with the demand for this service projected to skyrocket, what will tomorrow’s joint replacement look like?

In addition to volume of procedures increasing rapidly, so are costs. According to the January 2010 article “Overspending on Orthopedics”, costs for the most common joint replacements, hips and knees, have risen by over 10% annually for the last decade due primarily to the amount of procedures being performed. What’s the solution?

Dr. Kevin Stone puts his money on biologic joint replacement: using animal stem cells to regrow damaged parts of the joint to avoid a full artificial joint replacement procedure as well as save on the high costs associated with human-to-human stem cell transplants. In the video below he explains how these procedures work, shares some amazing success stories and describes his vision for the future.

What do you think the future of joint replacement care will hold?