HOW OBESITY OR EXCESSIVE WEIGHT CAUSES KNEE PAIN

 

Obesity or excessive body weight or high body mass index (BMI) contributes to the soft tissue damage which leads to osteoarthritis - Wear & Tear disorder of joint.

Prolonged pressure due to overweight also causes inflammation of joint which leads to joint pain

Mostly affected joints are Knee & Hip joint & seen in Middle age and older age groups but obese person are of high risk cause them pain.

Body Weight Distribution on Knee Joint

For people with overweight, each pound of body weight causes 4 pounds (1.81 kg) of pressure on each knee joint.

That means if you lose 10 pounds (4.54 kg), there will
be 40 pounds (18.14 kg) less weight in each step for your knees to support.

So less pressure means less wear & tear on knees and finally reduces the risk of osteoarthritis (OA)

Symptoms if overweight,

o   Pain

o   Swelling

o   Joint Stiffness

o   Restricted movement

On Examination,

o   Painful movements and restriction

o   Clicking sound in joint (Crepitus)

o   Locking of joint

On X-Ray examination -

o   Joint space reduce

o   Extra growth of bone (osteophytes)

o   Cartilage erosion seen

Obese person or excessive weight person may develop all these symptoms and are more prone to replacement surgery if weight not reduce at proper stage because in future this may lead to complete cartilage damage which will be irreversible.

Scientist have found links between:

• Obesity
  
• Type 2 Diabetes
  
• Cardiac disease
  
• other health issues

These conditions collectively known as metabolic syndrome. They all appear to involve high levels of inflammation, and they may all influence each other.

How to Prevent it?

Maintaining a healthy weight has many health benefits, including:

• reducing pressure on the knees
• reducing joint inflammation
• reducing the risk of metabolic disease

This includes eating fresh foods that are high in nutrients, with a focus on:

• Eat every seasonal 2 fresh fruits and vegetables,
• fiber-rich foods, such as whole foods and plant-based foods
• healthy oils, such as olive oil

Foods to avoid include those that:

• Junk and packed foods.
• have extra sugar fat, and excessive salt
• are highly processed
• contain saturated and trans fat as these may raise cholesterol levels

 Physical Therapy

 Our primary aim is reduction in quantum of load on the joints.

Together with dietary choices, exercise can help you lose weight and reduce the risk of OA.

Normal BMI should be 18 -25 or you can aim to reduce 10 percent of body weight which may decrease the pressure and knee pain.

We recommend the following activities:

• Walking : Gradually starts with 20 min and progress to brisk walking upto 40 -45 mins.
• Cycling
• Strengthening exercises
• Swimming
• Yoga and Streching

These will improve strength and flexibility and also act as stress booster. Stress also contribute to inflammation, which may worsen knee pain.

Few Tips for losing weight

Here are some other steps you can take to start losing weight

• Reduce food portion sizes.
• Use Lemon honey hot water on empty stomach in morning
• Add one vegetable to your plate.
• Go for a walk after a meal.
• Take the stairs rather than the escalator or elevator.
• Pack your own lunch instead of eating out.
• Calculate your daily steps and challenge yourself to walk further.

If any query, Please feel to contact us.

Dr Amita Agrawal, (BPT, D.Acu, MIAP, PGDEMS, MBA)