Are you sick and tired of the knee pain you feel on a daily basis? Is the knee pain taking away from your livelihood? Well if it is then you’ll want to continue reading on because you will discover how simply by losing weight, you can help your knee and joint pain remarkably!
Now, the most common form of arthritis in Canada and USA is Osteoarthritis (OA.) Additionally, those who are overweight, tend to suffer more from it that much more.
For this reason, in this article, I am going to discuss how losing weight helps reduce knee pain from OA, what you should focus on strengthening and much much more!
Let’s get to it!
How Does Being Overweight Effect Are Joints?
Studies have found that being obese and overweight are significantly correlated with the increase in knee/joint pain! In a study done by Jian et all, they found that for every 5 point increase in your body mass index, the associated risk of knee OA was 35%!
It was also found that this was worse in women than in men. This could be due to men generally having more lean muscle than women.
- What should we do to Lose Body Fat & Reduce Joint Pain Properly?
So a great few evidence-based ways to do this is
1) Lose weight through diet and exercise
2) Strengthen your legs through exercise
Of course, the exercise that you perform should be something that does not cause you more knee pain and swelling! For example, if squats or lunges are causing you more knee pain, then it would be ideal for you to avoid those exercises and do some bridging or hip hinges.
Furthermore, this is where seeing a good physiotherapist can be helpful because they would create a proper program for you. Moreover, if you have a great trainer/coach they should know what to avoid.
Why Weight Loss Helps Reduce Knee Pain
According to a study done by (Meissner 2013,) if you were to lose 10% of your weight through proper exercise and diet, this would result in a 50% reduction in knee pain from osteoarthritis in 2 years! This could be attributed to the reduction of stress on your joints from losing weight.
How To Lose the Weight Properly
Now the best way to lose weight is by cutting calories. By doing this you’ll create a calorie deficit which will allow you to lose weight properly.
Furthermore, by consuming more protein, your body will help you put on lean muscle, help repair tissues from your workouts quicker and keep you in a calorie deficit easier because foods high in protein have a high satiety level.
Therefore, being patient with the pain you are feeling and not skipping steps during your fat loss journey is extremely important.
How Important Is Strengthening Your Legs?
There was a study done in 2018 that looked at 97 participants with knee OA. What they did was take their baseline data, and there would be a 12 week follow up assessment was done on their quad strength, pain and overall function.
Their findings after 12 weeks found that the participant’s quads got stronger, it reduced the knee pain significantly and increased overall function.
Remember, this was after 12 weeks of putting in the work consistently! Therefore, it’s really important to be patient throughout the process. You will see results IF you put in the work!
Conclusion
Reducing your knee pain from osteoarthritis is very possible by following the proper protocols. Remember don’t expect the pain to go away overnight. Continue doing the right exercises to strengthen your legs and eat in a calorie deficit to lose weight to take the stress off your joints! Be patient and enjoy the journey!
Physiotherapist
