Six weeks ago I had a total knee replacement. Everything was fine and then I got an infection in the joint. I had to have a second surgery. My father always said if it wasn’t for bad luck he wouldn’t have any at all. Is it my bad luck or does this happen very often?

Of the more than 350,000 total knee replacements (TKRs) done last year, 29,000 had to be revised. That’s less than 10 percent (around eight percent).

Studies show black men in the lower economic ranks are the most likely to have revision surgery. This group is more likely to have complications in general. The reasons for this are unknown. It could be patient-related or it may be the quality of care at the hospitals or centers where the TKRs are done. More studies are needed to solve this mystery.

The rate of complications increases as patients get older. The risk of deep wound infection is much greater after TKRs compared to hip replacements.

So whether it’s your gender, age, race, or economic status, you’re not alone. It doesn’t happen very often, but revision after TKR isn’t rare.