Artificial joint implants have long been considered devices for the elderly. However, younger people are beginning to turn towards these medical devices to alleviate or prevent health issues, despite the long-term risks of these controversial medical devices being known. Medtronic, St. Jude Medical, and Boston Scientific have reported an increase in medical devices, typically used for health issues in the elderly, being used in younger generations.

According to the Star Tribune’s examination of data from the U.S Department of Health and Human Services, middle-aged people are opting to be implanted with certain medical devices in an effort to avoid any future complications as they age. The number of middle-aged patients, with an average age of 45-64 years old, opting for a hip replacement procedure has more than doubled from the years 2000 to 2010.

In 2000, approximately 52,333 patients out of a group of 157,000 patients who received a hip or knee replacement were under the age of 65. By 2010, the group had nearly tripled to 430,000, with almost half of the procedures being done on patients in the younger generation, reported the Star Tribune.

Metal on-metal hip implants, as well as other joint implant devices, have been the focus of recent safety concerns due to their high failure rate and associated complications. Stryker Orthopaedics, Smith and Nephew, and DePuy Orthopaedics are facing numerous lawsuits for their hip implant devices’ defective design. The companies have recalled a select number of their popular hip devices, which have caused serious health complications and painful symptoms in those implanted with the hip implant devices in question, including instability, swelling, and cobalt and chromium hip poisoning.

“Companies will spend millions in order to increase the hype on their products. Because of this, younger people are turning a blind eye to the fact that these hip devices in question can cause serious health complications,” commented Daniel Nigh, a Stryker hip recall, Depuy hip recall, and Smith and Nephew hip replacement lawyer with the Levin, Papantonio law firm. “These companies are allowing defective products to be put into patients’ bodies just to maximize profit.”

Krysta is a writer and researcher with Ring of Fire. Follow her on Twitter @KrystaLoera.