Your Weight and Knees: How Losing a Few Pounds Can Prevent Reconstructive Surgery

People suffering from knee pain in the Houston, Texas, area may feel as though surgery is their only option. However, there are steps you can take to get back to a pain-free life without surgery. Losing weight is one way to improve your health and reduce your knee pain. Here, we’ve listed some ways losing weight can prevent the need for reconstructive surgery:

1. Reduces Pressure on Knees

Losing weight can reduce joint strain by decreasing the amount of pressure placed on the knees. In fact, losing just one pound of body weight results in four pounds of pressure taken off of the knees. This means that even a small amount of weight loss can dramatically reduce pain symptoms. A simple 5-pound weight loss means twenty pounds of pressure reduced from your knees.

2. Reduces Inflammation in the Body

Osteoarthritis is a common reason that people may need reconstructive surgery in the knees.  Recent studies from Stanford have discovered that inflammation is a risk factor of developing Osteoarthritis, rather than a cause. Losing weight can help by reducing inflammation in the knees. Being overweight and overeating triggers the body’s immune response which means inflammation will occur, as your body believes there is a problem. Losing weight can reduce this response, which lessens the risk for osteoarthritis along with the need for reconstructive surgery.

3. Reduces the Risk of Chronic Disease

Another common condition that people seek reconstructive surgery for is RA (Rheumatoid arthritis). This chronic disease causes the body to attack its own tissues, leading to joint erosion and pain. While fat is necessary in the body, too much fat can lead to an overload of chemical produced by fat cells. These chemicals can cause a joint to break down more quickly than it might otherwise. By reducing the amount of fat in the body, you may also be reducing your risk for developing RA.

4. Promotes Exercise

A key factor in losing weight is an increased amount of physical activity. Exercise can help you shed pounds and help joint pain naturally, without the need for surgery. Regular exercise reduces joint pain by improving the strength of the joints and surrounding muscles which means that pain symptoms will be reduced. Physical activity provides the benefits of weight loss and diminished need for reconstructive surgery.

At NASA Bone & Joint Specialists, we understand that considering reconstructive surgery for your knees can be nerve-wracking. However, before resorting to surgery, try non-surgical methods to help get your knees back to being pain-free. You may find that a reduction in weight may be just the cure. For those who do need surgery, trust NASA Bone & Joint Specialists. We are a leading name in Orthopedics in Houston, Texas. Give us a call at (281) 333-5114.