The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons states that one in seven Americans currently suffers from bone or joint issues, costing consumers nearly $850 billion a year. Elderly individuals suffering from chronic arthritis conditions make up the largest demographic of those seeking orthopedic care. When it comes to injuries, back and knee injuries are the most common, and cost workers in the United States over 400 million lost workdays.

Due to increasing costs and wait times for orthopedic treatments and surgeries, more individuals are crossing international borders to seek treatment in what is now called cross-border medical travel. Lower costs, decreased wait time, new technologies, and the expertise and experience of orthopedic surgeons in foreign destinations has created a boom in the number of individuals, especially the elderly, seeking treatment in such destinations as South America, India, and Middle East countries such as Jordan and Turkey.

In the United States, cruciate ligament repair via knee arthroscopy averages $17,000 per knee, while at the Madras Joint Replacement Center in Chennai, India, medical travelers may save up to 40%, paying just under $5,000 for the same procedure. Hip replacement procedures in the United States cost an average of $45,000, while the same procedure in a facility in Poland costs just over $5,000, with a 50-60% savings, or roughly $7,000 in Turkey, and $6,000 in India.

Orthopedic surgery abroad, such as hip replacement surgery or rotator cuff surgery in Costa Rica or those provided by the best sports injuries programs in Croatia such as those found at Terme Selce offer medical travelers the best in care and experience while at the same time saving thousands of dollars in medical care costs.