Having a sudden joint pain while going for a walk or climbing stairs? One step toward prevention is to check your weight. When discussing health conditions caused by obesity, we most often hear about diabetes and heart diseases. But, obesity can also have a significant impact on your bones, joints, and muscles too.

With nearly 40% of adults considered obese, it has become one of the most common diseases that adversely affect bone and joint health. Don’t believe that? Well, Obesity treatment experts at Inodaya hospitals here, explains how developing arthritis is strongly associated with your body weight.

Overweight or obesity is one of the leading causes of immobility in adults. An accumulation of excess body weight increases the pressure on the joints, especially the hips, knees, and ankles, which results in chronic pain and difficulty walking.

Obesity contributes to the wear and tear of the joints, eventually leading to osteoarthritis. The more weight placed on the joints the more stressed the joints become, causing it to wear down and become damaged.

When the smooth surface at the end of the bones or cartilage becomes damaged and worn, you feel severe pain, swelling, and stiffness of the joints. Extra body weight also puts pressure on the tendons, or connecting tissue around the joints. This extra load on the joints from additional weight causes the tendon to become inflamed, leading to tendonitis.

Obese patients are 20 times more likely to need knee replacement surgery than people who are not overweight. There are numerous investigations into the effect obesity has on the results of joint replacement surgery. Some of these studies have found a higher chance of blood clots, infection, and dislocation after hip surgery.

The joint replacement surgery takes longer in obese people, leading to an extended period of anesthesia and the recovery takes longer as well. Furthermore, people with a high body mass index (BMI) tend to develop arthritis at a younger age. Having a joint replacement at a younger age complicates the treatment because the replacement is more likely to wear out in the patient’s lifetime.

Losing weight may not reverse the damage that has been caused to your joints. However, research has shown that even a moderate weight loss can have a dramatic effect on the relief from joint pain. Getting down to normal weight is a good idea and a weight-loss program can help you maintain a healthy weight and decrease your chances of developing joint pains or arthritis by 50%.

But, exercises can sometimes be difficult and painful for obese people. Therefore, gentle and low-impact workouts such as walking, cycling, swimming, and aerobics are recommended in order to reduce the risk of knee arthritis.

If you have obesity and OA, weight loss treatment doctors may suggest setting a goal to lose 10 per cent of your weight and aiming for a BMI of 18.5–25. This may help reduce joint pain and prevent joint damage from getting worse.

Apart from preventing joint pains, losing weight can also help you manage other health conditions that occur due to metabolic syndromes, such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure (hypertension), and heart diseases.

Taking the necessary precautions to manage your weight can help protect your knees from joint pain and reduce your risk of Osteoarthritis.

Need more information on how obesity can lead to joint problems? Consults our orthopedic specialists at Inodaya Hospitals, Kakinada.