Canterbury health system struggles under load of hip and knee patients

A study has found the Canterbury health system is turning away hundreds of hip and knee patients as it deals with huge numbers of applicants. 

The research from respected surgeons warns the problem will explode nationwide over the next decade, as baby boomers near retirement.  

Christchurch woman Vanessa Taylor says she wakes up every day hurting with pain in her knee that never goes away. 

"So the burning, and the sharp pains, it's just excruciating," she says.

After a failed surgery she now needs a complete knee replacement which her doctor recommended placing her on the public waiting list.

"He said 'It's possible national health won't even consider it, and if that happens, we have to keep going back and back," Ms Taylor says.

According to a new Medical Journal study she may be in for a long wait.

The researchers looked at more than 1800 acute patients in Canterbury and found half were referred back to their GP.

At least 90 percent of those coming into hospital were battling arthritis and their numbers keep growing with knee replacements alone expected to increase by 183 percent over the next decade.

Researcher and long-time surgeon Paul Armour says there's no forward planning and he wants new operating theatres.

"I think we've got a tsunami of patients with orthopaedic hip and knee arthritis problems that they're really not making any provisions for," he says.

However others believe the money would be better used on prevention and early intervention for arthritis. 

"If we put even a quarter of those resources into prevention and early intervention, we might reduce the long term risk," says Arthritis New Zealand's Sandra Kirby.

For Ms Taylor there is little hope with her only comfort being medicine.

"I've taken 90 anti-inflammatories, also codeine, tramadol, all of those painkillers, which are addictive," she says.

Even with all those painkillers Ms Taylor's still in pain and unlikely to find a permanent solution any time soon.

Newshub.