What's going on? Is this mechanical failure people seem to be experiencing in their joints a new phenomenon? Or are more diagnoses being made now owing to the ready availability of CAT scans and MRI units? Are more surgeries being done owing to the abundance (at least in urban areas) of surgeons wanting to perform these procedures?
Regardless, deeper questions point to lifestyle patterns that may predispose a person to developing knee osteoarthritis. A comparison with earlier times may be useful in this context. For example, it's not well-known that people in the Middle Ages - the 11th and 12th centuries - lived into their 80s. They managed to get along without ibuprofen, without arthroscopy, and without major surgical procedures. But we live in the 21st century. What is our problem?