Double-ditto to what Oldpenny said. I got arthritis very young, and when I was in college, I worked in fast food. Despite the fact that standing up in my job almost killed me my feet hurt so badly, I "sucked it up" and did it for almost 2 years. The net result of that was that I had to get an ankle replacement in my 30's. (Actually, it's a wonder it lasted that long.)
While joint replacements are the best thing since sliced bread (I actually love mine), it's still not something one should be cavalier about.
