As we’ve discussed on the blog in the past, obesity is one of the leading contributing factors for the need to undergo knee replacement surgery, and new research out of Australia suggests that it doesn’t take much weight gain for you to substantially increase your risk of needing a knee replacement.
According to the new data review, just 11 pounds of extra weight can significantly increase a person’s risk of needing a knee replacement in the near future. The study suggests that 11 pounds of extra weight increases a woman’s odds of needing a knee replacement procedure by one-third and a man’s by one-quarter. However, they also found that losing just a few pounds can take a significant amount of force off of your knees, so weight gain and weight loss goes both ways.
Weight Gain And Knee Health Study
The findings were shared last week in a statement from the International Congress on Obesity. The team of researchers looked at 20 prior studies that examined the relationship between weight gain and osteoarthritis onset, the leading indicator of eventual knee replacement likelihood. After combining the results from two large studies involving more than 250,000 people, researchers concluded that weight gain had a significant negative effect on the knee joint, including clear indications of damage on X-rays.
Dr. Anita Wluka, the study’s lead researcher and a professor of rheumatology at Monash University School of Public Health and Preventative Medicine in Australia, said that weight gain can speed up osteoarthritis, which in turn significantly increases a person’s risk for eventually needing a knee replacement operation.
“Osteoarthritis was more likely to develop with weight gain and to progress more quickly,” said Dr. Wluka. “This is particularly concerning.”
Researchers suggest that an extra 11 pounds of weight actually feels like more to the knee joints, which have to help disperse this additional stress. 10 pounds of additional weight can feel like 20-30 pounds or more to the knee, but this force relation can also mean good news when it comes to weight loss. Losing just a few pounds can take an immense amount of stress off your knee joints. Losing just 10 percent of your body weight can take a large load of repetitive stress off of your knee joints and can help slow or stop osteoarthritis progression.
So if your knees are starting to feel a little more uncomfortable, and you’ve added a little weight in recent years, know that your knee discomfort may be tied to this weight gain. And while it may not completely alleviate your pain, shedding just a few pounds can help your knees feel much better and stave off the eventual need for a knee replacement procedure!
If you’re looking for more information about knee pain treatment or knee replacement, or you want to talk to a knee specialist about some of the best exercise regimens for someone with knee discomfort, reach out to Dr. Botero and his team today at (865) 558-4444.
