The Link between Weight and Orthopedic Risks

Maintaining a healthy weight through a balanced diet and regular exercise is one of the best ways you can live a longer life with reduced health risks. Obesity often leads to well-known health conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease. But it can also play a role in orthopedic issues like osteoarthritis, chronic pain and musculoskeletal injuries. 

Excess weight can cause chronic pain and inflammation

Knee pain is the second most common chronic pain reported in American adults, following lower back pain. Chronic pain can come from increased stress on your joints, which can be caused by extra body weight. Young adults with obesity are more likely to report musculoskeletal pain than others their age who maintain a normal weight. The elderly are two times more likely to have chronic pain in their tendons and ligaments. Though pain is most common in the lower back and lower limbs, obese individuals can also experience chronic pain in their hands and fingers, upper back and neck.

Every pound of body weight places a load of 4 to 6 pounds of pressure on each knee joint. Excess weight also increases the chance of wearing away the cushioning surface of the knee joint, which may call for surgery in the future. Losing weight can reduce pressure on the knees. Losing just 5 pounds of weight reduces 20 to 30 pounds of pressure for your knees to support. Less weight reduces the risk of osteoarthritis, which arises from progressive wear and tear on the knees. Overweight women are four times more likely to develop osteoarthritis than their peers at a normal weight, and overweight men are five times more likely.

The risk of injuries and surgical complications increase

In addition to chronic pain and osteoarthritis, people who are overweight or obese are much more likely to sustain musculoskeletal injuries, compared to their peers who maintain a weight in the normal range. With increased body weight, both fat and muscle mass increase, but muscle strength is typically lower than average. Muscle weakness can lead to altered posture or gait, and coupled with extra joint pressure, can cause injury, inflammation or pain. Those who experience pain during weight-bearing actions like walking or climbing stairs can even develop a fear of movement called kinesiophobia. 

For those who suffer from chronic pain or reduced bone and joint function, elective orthopedic surgery can help improve quality of life. However, surgical patients with obesity may face higher risks of surgical complications and slower recovery times. In some cases, obese patients might be advised to lose weight before surgery, or informed about the complications or results that might happen if they do not lose weight. Despite these risks, surgery can help decrease pain and improve mobility and physical function.

Orthopedic Corner | Leon Mead MD Orthopedic Doctor | 730 Goodlette Road North, Suite 201  Naples Florida 34102 | Phone: (239) 262-1119