There are many life markers that we all know about and that indicate our passage into a new stage of life’s journey. These markers include things like our first time drinking too much, our first breakup, our first financial crisis and…our first body part replacement.

Hip replacement has now become a “rite of passage” for seniors (and even some in their 40's & 50's!) to commiserate and brag about. This is at least true in the United States where we have 4% of the world’s population but undergo 64% of the world’s hip replacements. People in less fortunate countries are most likely hobbling around unable to move or dance or work or do anything. It seems that: we are so lucky here!

But why are our hips wearing out?

Why have human beings evolved over thousands of years so that, even though we are more sedentary than ever before, our darn hips are just wearing out like they’re paper mâché? And the problem is getting worse all the time.

Americans are receiving 760,000 hip replacements per...