Joint replacement surgery, particularly of the hip and knee, has become one of the most frequent prosthetic surgeries over the past decades due to its success in restoring function to disabled arthritic individuals. It is estimated that more than a million joint replacements are performed each year worldwide. However, these operations are not without complications, the most frequent being aseptic loosening. But of greater concern is infection, the second most frequent complication.

Currently in the US, there are more than 550,000 joint replacement procedures performed each year - most often involving the hip and knee, with total joint replacement of the ankle, elbow, shoulder, and fingers performed less often.
More than 193,000 artificial hip replacement surgeries are performed yearly. Hip replacement may become necessary if activities such as walking, sitting, or even resting become painful.
Recent research on joint replacement surgeries have shown that the demand is going to increase drastically in the next 25 yrs which will result in shortage of orthopaedic surgeons to perform the surgeries, as presented at the 73rd Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), the study also states that the number of hip and knee replacement procedures that will be performed in the United States through the year 2030. would jump by 673 percent - to 3.48 million - in 2030. Also the number of primary total hip replacements, the authors estimate, will increase by 174 percent - to 572,000 - in 2030.though the partial joint replacements were projected to increase by only 54 percent.