Does Weight Truly Affect My Joints?

“Obesity is the mother of all diseases.”

Ifyouoftensufferfromjointpainswhenyouwalkortrytoclimbstairs, then it may be time to reassess your weight. Obesity even excess weight could predispose you to many diseases and put you at high risk of developing many different medical complications. Most obese and overweight people have arthritis and joint pains of some description.

Weightgainaffectsyourjointsintwoways.Youareattheriskofdevelopingosteoarthritisbecause it puts additional weight on your joints that are responsible for bearing your weight (knee joint, ankle, etc.). As a result, the joint is more prone to cartilage ‘wear’ as it is stressed for a long time. You can also suffer from inflammation in your joints due to excessive weight which can further contribute to several other joint problems.

So, if you want to know if the weight actually affects your joints, then you are on the right page. Read this article to learn how excessive weight can lead to multiple joint problems and how lowering weight can protect from conditions like arthritis.

Why being Overweight puts you at risk of Arthritis and otherDiseases?

Obesity and Osteoarthritis

There is a clear connection between obesity and osteoarthritis. If you are overweight, you are more likely to develop osteoarthritis in certain joints. When the cartilages that protect and cushions your joints are worn over time, the condition is known as osteoarthritis. You will have more pressure on your weight-bearing joints like knee, hips, ankle, etc. if you are overweight.

Obesity and Rheuma to id Arthritis

Unlike osteoarthritis, the connection between obesity and rheumatoid arthritis is not very clear. Inflammation from fat may also play a role, as experts believe. Rheumatoid Arthritis is known to be an autoimmune disorder. It is a condition when the immune system of your body starts attacking the healthy cells. So, if your weight-bearingjointshaveinflammationduetoOverweight, they may also affect your body’s other joints.

Obesity and Psoriatic Arthritis

It is also suspected that obesity and psoriatic arthritis may be linked — a form of inflammatory arthritis that occurs in people with psoriasis,an autoimmune disease that involves red, scaly spots on their skin. Researchers found there is an increased risk of PsA among psoriasis patients withaBMIabove25; the higher your BMI, the more likely you are to develop PsA.

Obesity and Gout

This is also true in Gout, a form of arthritis marked by flashes of inflammation and tenderness in joints, most frequently in the big toe. In Gout, a buildup of uric acid crystals causes the body’s normal waste product to bind with uric acid and form the uric acid crystals. This causes burning, stiffness, and extreme pain. Your blood dissolves the uric acid you consume in the normal course of affairs, which is then excreted in your urine. Being overweight will cause you to produce more uric acid, which makes it tougher on for your kidneys to eliminate it.

How Can Losing Weight Help to ease your arthritis?

Here are some ways reaching and maintaining a healthy weight can help ease your arthritis.

Reduce pressure on your joints

It is evident from many studies that reducing your weight can help to reduce pressure on your joints. According to a study, if you lose 1 pound weight, then it can reduce 4 pounds of pressure on your joints. If you lose 10 pounds of weight, you can easily reduce 40 pounds of pressure on your joints.

Ease Pain

Many studies have shown that if you have arthritis, reducing weight can relieve pain. One study examined adults suffering from knee osteoarthritis, and the results showed that losing greater amounts of weight led to better outcomes than losing smaller amounts of weight.Peoplewholost10-20% of their body weight got better lief from pain than those who lost 5%oftheir body weight.

Reduce Inflammation

We already discussed above that if you are overweight, then it can cause inflammation in your weight-bearing joints. So, if you lose weight and burn the extra fat of your body, then the body’s overall inflammation can be reduced, including your joints. Inflammation is harmful to your joints,anditcanbeacauseofmanyseriousconditionslikeRheumatoidarthritis, psoriatic arthritis, and many other heart diseases.

Reduce Disease Activity

If you are obese and overweight, doctors recommend losing weight because it can reduce your arthritis’s overall severity. Several studies have been conducted on arthritis patients over the past few years. All those studies indicated that people who lose weight get significant improvement in their arthritis symptoms compared to those who are overweight.

Lower Uric Acid Levels and Chance of Gout Attack

If you are obese and suffering from Gout then losing weight can help to reduce the levels of uric acid in your blood and,as a result,reduces the chances of a gout attack.

Slows Cartilage Degeneration in OA

Osteoarthritisisadiseaseinwhichthecartilagearoundyourbonesstartsdegenerating.Studies have shown that reducing weight can slow down cartilage degeneration and improve the overall symptoms of arthritis. Simply stated, those who lose weight are at a lower risk for disease progression.

Final Verdict

From all the discussions that we did till now, it will be now clear that weight loss has significant effects on your joint health. You can get rid of many joint problems simply by losing weight. Ifyouareoverweight, then you are always at risk of several diseases, and many studies prove it.

If you still have any questions in your mind, then feel free to get in touch with Dr. GowreesonThevendranorvisitwww.orthofootmd.com/.