If you’re overweight with knee pain it shouldn’t be much of a surprise.
It doesn’t take a genius to understand the fact that the more weight your body has to carry the more physical stress it will have to endure.
Extra weight on our knees leads to pain, arthritis, and the need for invasive surgeries or treatments.
But here’s the real question..
Is this damage reversible if we lose the weight or is the damage done?
Does losing weight reduce knee pain?
Recent studies have found a correlation between losing weight and reduced knee pain.
This study took a patient group of 158 overweight patients who suffered from moderate knee arthritis.
Tracking these patients over 48 months it was found that those who lost up to 10% of their first measured weight had slowed the progression of their arthritis and improved their knee pain symptoms.
Are their long term effects to keeping this weight on?
Here’s a scary fact for you..
When you’re already overweight, each pound you gain increases the weight on your knees by four times.
On the positive side, each pound you lose will have the opposite effect.
Now, Imagine this.
You’re overweight, eventually the meniscus in your knee is torn down by the weight and friction over time.
Maybe you decide to undergo invasive knee surgery.
You think it’s a good idea.
You think it will solve all of your knee problems.
Well, unfortunately you couldn’t be more wrong.
You see, knee surgery is already extremely risky. Results certainly not guaranteed.
With all of that added weight, not only will it take longer for it to heal (if it does at all) but you will likely have to have a follow up surgery MUCH sooner than 5 years.
And that’s if the surgery is effective in the first place.
This research continues to show that overweight patients also have fewer “viable” blood vessel stem cells.
All in all this shows that patients who are overweight have more complications with knee pain, surgeries, and treatments.
How to stop or prevent these problems?
So, maybe you’re overweight.
Or, maybe you know someone who is and they’re suffering from knee pain.
There’s some good news.
Even taking off a few pounds can make a world of difference in the way your joints feel.
The closer you get to that ideal weight the more your symptoms will improve.
So how do you get closer to this ideal weight?
We’re going to make it easier for you.
And before I tell you the solution I want to tell you this.
I know it’s cliche, I know you’ve probably heard it before.
But guess what?
It’s simple, and simple works.
So this cliche but simple solution?
It’s changing your diet.
I’m not going to sit here and tell you to cut out all the foods you enjoy out of your diet.
I’m going to tell you two simple ways to make a diet stick.
1: Choose a diet that contains most of the foods you enjoy.
2: Don’t be too strict on yourself. Enjoy foods you cut out when it’s Saturday and Sunday. Don’t binge eat these items, simply indulge a bit.
Doing this has had some patients lose 20lbs in as little as a month.
That’s five pounds a week.
Not too bad, huh?
If you’re experiencing knee pain, or know someone who is and they’re overweight send them this article.
Just give them a light hearted nudge and show them it can be easy.
The first step is always the hardest but if we start today, the results we want are one day closer.
