I agree with Tony. I had a right hip replacement @ 9 years ago and have had no problems since (not counting mental ). One thing that was mentioned and can't be emphasized enough is the post-operative therapy. I do know of one case of a knee replacement fail, but that was almost immediately after the surgery and the procedure had to be redone. I'm guessing this was the result of a botched surgery and not the fault of the replacement joint itself. New materials such as ceramic and titanium??, combined with improved surgical procedures, have extended the useful life to 20+ years (longer if you spend most of that 20 yrs in a LazyBoy lounger watching football and reruns of Star Trek). Add that 20 years to your current age and see if you think you'll give a damn if it wears out after 20 years. My guess is that everything else will be worn out too. Gary does make a good point though about losing the excess weight. Good luck.

chas