Obesity leaves many casualties in its wake, simply because of the many physical ramifications that comes as a result of carrying around so much extra weight. We are not meant to support this type of weight; our bodies are not built to manage it. As a result, when we are overweight, we put a lot of pressure on the systems of our body and, eventually, these systems begin to break down.

Osteoarthritis – or joint disease – and even just joint pain is a common disorder among those who are overweight. And it’s not surprising when you consider that walking – something that we do every day – puts pressure on the knees equal to three to six times a person’s body weight. Every 10 pounds of excess weight increases this pressure on the knees by 30 to 60 pounds.

This type of pressure pertains to all the joints in the body but most often affects the spine, feet, and weight bearing joints such as the knees or hips.

What Are The Symptoms?
We are not meant to sustain such pressure and especially not for long periods of time. So when pressure of this sort continues, people will begin to experience pain in their joints, along with stiffness, tenderness, and in some cases, locking of the knees and fluid retention known as joint effusion. Most significant is the fact that osteoarthritis is a degenerative disease. Which means, that if steps are not taken to address the symptoms of joint disease, the condition will not only persist, it will worsen, which can cause debilitating pain and loss of mobility.

How Does Weight Loss Help?
Through research, we have no doubt about the link between obesity and osteoarthritis. In fact, those who are overweight are at least four or five times more likely to develop osteoarthritis. Reducing the amount of weight that our joints are supporting can therefore reduce the symptoms of joint disease and in some cases eliminate the symptoms altogether.