CHICAGO, March 22 /PRNewswire/ -- DePuy Orthopaedics, a Johnson & Johnson company, is working with actress Angela Lansbury to launch a national campaign educating women about knee replacement and dispelling myths about the surgery. The campaign kicks off during the annual meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons in Chicago, March 22 - 26.
“A lot of women think that chronic pain is part of getting old,” says Ms. Lansbury, who could barely walk because of crippling knee injuries before undergoing knee replacement surgery in July 2005. “It doesn’t have to be. Joint replacement can extend your enjoyment of life. Now, I can move and dance again. I’m comfortable and pain-free -- and looking forward to the next 20 years of my life.”
Women Suffer Broader Impact on Daily Activities
In a Harris Interactive(R) survey commissioned by DePuy of U.S. osteoarthritis sufferers aged 50 to 65, women are more likely than men to report that their daily pain is severe. Many women said their OA pain affected activities such as walking and climbing stairs a lot or all of the time, while men reported the greatest impact was on exercise and outdoor activities. Women reported having tried more treatments than men, but were less likely to be seeing an orthopaedic surgeon or discussing knee replacement with their physician.(1)
Women Delay Taking Action
Published studies(2,3) show that women are three times more likely than men to continue living with knee pain instead of having needed knee replacement surgery. Women also wait until they have significantly worse knee functioning before getting knee replacement.(4) This increasing disability can limit the best possible outcome from the surgery making early diagnosis and treatment a key to positive outcomes and better postoperative knee function.(5) It’s important for women to not delay seeing an orthopaedic surgeon to make informed treatment decisions when chronic knee pain impacts their daily activities such as walking or going up or down stairs.
“DePuy’s innovations in knee replacement technology may provide options that meet the needs of today’s active patients. These advances allow women and men to resume activities that are important to them,” says John Moreland, M.D., Ms. Lansbury’s physician and an orthopaedic surgeon at St. John’s Hospital in Santa Monica, Calif. “If knee pain makes the functions of everyday activities like getting in and out of a car difficult or if it is waking you up at night, you should consult with an orthopaedic surgeon to explore potential treatment.”
“While women have always been the caregiver, they now must take charge of their knee pain and seek treatment. There is no reason to miss out on the joy of living,” concludes Ms. Lansbury.
Educational information including a simple screening tool that helps women better understand the impact of knee pain as well as descriptions of possible treatment options are available at http://www.kneereplacement.com .
About Angela Lansbury
Angela Lansbury has delighted fans on Broadway (“Gypsy”), the silver screen (“The Manchurian Candidate”) and is perhaps best known for her role as Jessica Fletcher on “Murder, She Wrote.” Over a 16-year period, Ms. Lansbury achieved notable success on Broadway, having won all four Tony awards for which she was nominated. In 2000, she was honored with the John F. Kennedy Center Honors for lifetime achievement. In 2005, she was nominated for her supporting role on “Law & Order: SVU.”
About DePuy Orthopaedics, Inc.
DePuy Orthopaedics, Inc., a Johnson & Johnson company, is committed to helping surgeons and patients achieve excellence in orthopaedic care.
(1) Harris Interactive(R) online survey conducted on behalf of DePuy Orthopaedics between March 2 and 8, 2004 among 531 U.S. adults aged 50 to 65 who have been diagnosed with osteoarthritis by a medical professional and have never had joint replacement surgery. Sampling error for the overall results is +/-4 percentage points. For complete methodology information, see http://www.kneereplacement.com/xq/ASP.default/pg.content/content_id.551/mn .local/joint_id.6/joint_nm.Knee/local_id.87/nav./qx/default.htm (2) Hawker, Gillian A., James G. Wright, Peter C. Coyte, J. Ivan Williams, Bart Harvey, Richard Glazier, and Elizabeth M. Badley. “Differences Between Men and Women in the Rate of Use of Hip and Knee Arthroplasty.” The New England Journal of Medicine 342 (2000): 1016-1022. (3) Chang, Hunan J., Priya S. Mehta, Aaron Rosenberg, and Susan C. Grimshaw. “Concerns of Patients Actively Contemplating Total Knee Replacement: Differences by Race and Gender.” Arthritis & Rheumatism 51 (2004): 117-123. (4) Chang, Hunan J., Priya S. Mehta, Aaron Rosenberg, and Susan C. Grimshaw. “Concerns of Patients Actively Contemplating Total Knee Replacement: Differences by Race and Gender.” Arthritis & Rheumatism 51 (2004): 117-123. (5) Fortin, Paul R., Ann E. Clarke, Lawrence Joseph, Matthew H. Liang, Michael Tanzer, Diane Ferland, Charlotte Phillips, Alison J. Partridge, Patrick Belisle, Anne H. Fossel, Nizar Mahomed, Clement B. Sledge, and Jeffrey N. Katz. “Outcomes of Total Hip and Knee Replacement.” Arthritis & Rheumatism 42 (1999): 1722-1728. CONTACTS: Mindy Tinsley, DePuy Orthopaedics, Inc Cell: 574-265-6204 Office: 574-372-7136 Matt Flesch, Edelman Cell: 708-204-6676 Office: 312-233-1216
DePuy Orthopaedics, Inc.
CONTACT: Mindy Tinsley of DePuy Orthopaedics, Inc., Cell, +1-574-265-6204,Office, +1-574-372-7136, or Matt Flesch of Edelman, Cell, +1-708-204-6676,or Office, +1-312-233-1216
Web site: http://www.kneereplacement.com/
