To automatically receive our monthly newsletter, click here.
Joint health: the weight connection
Do you have arthritis in your knees? At some point in their lives, more than half of all adults will develop symptoms of knee osteoarthritis,1 and the risk increases as bodyweight increases.2 You may just have some occasional stiffness or discomfort, but arthritis can also make it difficult for you to exercise, work, socialize, and enjoy life. Many of the medications available for arthritis can be hard on the stomach. And taking medicine may help your symptoms, but not their cause. When you blunt your arthritis pain with pain relievers and continue with your normal daily activities, you can actually increase wear and tear on your arthritic knee joints. 3
It’s easy to understand how a heavy body can put extra stress on weight-bearing joints such as the hips, knees, and ankles. A large belly can also affect posture, pulling the body out of alignment, stressing the back, shoulders, and neck.
What’s more, joint pain can make exercise difficult or even impossible. And since regular physical activity is a Habit of Health, you need to make sure you’re doing everything you can to make exercise safe and comfortable.
Many of us have experienced it, and science backs up the fact: Losing weight can ease the pain of arthritis. Researchers in Denmark showed overweight patients with arthritis in their knees experienced a “highly significant increase in function” by losing weight—specifically, body fat. Just a 10% decrease in body weight helped to improve symptoms of knee osteoarthritis by 28%.3
With healthy weight loss, the Habits of Health, and your Health Coach’s guidance, you may find you can move more easily and comfortably along the path to Optimal Health.
1 Murphy L, et al. Lifetime risk of symptomatic knee osteoarthritis. Arthritis Care & Research (2008) 59:9 1207-1213.
2 Zakkak JM, Wilson DB, Lanier JO. The association between body mass index and arthritis among US adults: CDC’s surveillance case definition. Prevention of Chronic Disease 2009 Apr;6(2):A56. Epub 2009 Mar 16.
3 Christensen R, Astrup A, Bliddal H. Weight loss: the treatment of choice for knee osteoarthritis? A randomized trial. OsteoArthritis and Cartilage (2005) 13:20-27
