Once arthritis sets in it is very difficult to reverse it

One thing which we have not written about at Ukmedix News before is the damage that obesity can do to your knees in the long term. This condition which is called knee osteoarthritis occurs in thousands of obese people. It is estimated for example that in America around 60 percent of all obese Americans will end up developing knee osteoarthritis.

The excess weight that obese people carry eventually wears down the cartilage tissue in the knee joint causing excruciating pain very often leading to complete disability and reliance on a wheelchair to get around. This in turn further aggravates the problem as it is extremely difficult for these people to do any physical activity and thus they burn off even less calories.

In some cases it is possible to replace the knee joint in an extremely complicated operation which involves inserting a steel knee joint with a pin which goes right into the upper leg bone and the lower leg bone. The problem of arthritis in developed nations is greatly aggravated by obesity and according to the Arthritis Foundation it is estimated that in America alone the condition costs the United States economy almost $130 billion annually.

Once arthritis sets in it is very difficult to reverse the effects without drastic weight loss. The weight loss relieves the pressure on the joints and with controlled exercise the knee joints can be further rehabilitated. The Arthritis Foundation says that by losing around 15 lb. you can cut the knee pain by half and that by losing just 1lb. in weight you take off 4lb. in load off your knee joint.

The Arthritis Foundation recommends exercise as one of the best ways to dealing with the problem and says that it is important that sufferers do something about it quickly before the pain is so bad that you end up having to get around in a wheelchair. Younger people are beginning to suffer from the condition in America especially those who have been obese all their lives.