Archive for the ‘Weight Loss’ Category
Garlic
Garlic not only adds flavor to food, but it also reduces inflammation, and can reduce the risk of a person developing arthritis. A recent study at the University of Anglia reported a correlation between eating garlic and the chances of developing arthritis. Garlic contains diallyl disulphide which can slow down cartilage damaging enzymes. Though more research on the subject needs to be conducted garlic won’t hurt and it tastes good! Would you rather have bad breath from eating garlic or suffer from ulcers and gastro-intestinal bleeding from taking non-steroidal anti inflammatory medication? Your choice.
Only you can make your knee osteoarthritis feel better.
Green Tea
Green Tea can reduce inflammation, risk of heart attacks, and risk of cancer. It originates in China and is made with leaves from the Camellia sinensis plant. Try green tea instead of coffee in the afternoons and see if it makes a difference.
Green tea is also purported to help rheumatoid arthritis, reduce cholesterol, and fight infection. Green tea is rich in the anti-oxidant, epigallocatechin (EGCG). EGCG inhibits the growth of cancer cells, lowers LDL cholesterol, and inhibits the formation of abnormal blood clots. All that and it can reduce swelling in your knees too.
So try green tea to help ease the swelling associated with your osteoarthritis of the knee.
Eat Healthy - Reduce Swelling
Pain, stiffness, limited range of motion, and localized inflammation are the primary symptoms of knee osteoarthritis. Changing your diet can have a profound effect on how your arthritic knees feel. It has been well documented that losing weight will reduce pain and make a big difference on how well your knees function. But what many people are unaware of, is that the type of food you eat can actually reduce swelling. No drugs, no injections, no surgery….just change your eating habits.
This series of blog posts will examine what foods you should be eating to help reduce swelling. No surprises here, you’ll notice these foods will help you lose weight as well. Change your diet and you may be able to reduce your trips to the pharmacy and postpone surgery. This is an aspect of your treatment program that is completely in your control.
Knee Osteoarthritis and Obesity Increases Likelihood of Death
Knee OA & Obesity
Researchers from Boston-based Brigham and Women’s Hospital used a mathematical model to analyze data at a national level that looked at occurrences of knee osteoarthritis, obesity, and conditions like cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and lung disease. They were trying to figure out how knee osteoarthritis and obesity affects longevity and quality of life.
Older Americans suffer from both obesity and osteoarthritis of the knee. These are common chronic ailments that affect people over 50 years of age in our country. It is estimated that decreasing obesity rates could decrease total knee replacement surgery by over 269,00 cases and could save somewhere around 19.5 million years of life!
Estimates range from 30 to 60 pounds of force is added to every step a person takes for every ten pounds they are overweight.
The more you weigh, the more your knees hurt
Almost 50% of people living in the United States will develop osteoarthritis of the knee by the age of 85. That number jumps to 66% in the obese. A study performed at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill shows that a person’s risk to develop knee OA increases as their body mass index increases.
The study suggested that those at the greatest risk were people who had normal body weight at the age of eighteen but gained weight and became obese became by the time they were 45 or older.
So how do you exercise and lose weight if your knee hurts? Knee braces work. Knee braces are covered by Medicare, Medicaid, and most major HMOs and PPOs.
Guidelines for Treating Knee Osteoarthritis Ignored by Clinicians
Avoid Surgery
Dr. David Hunter from New England Baptist Hospital in Boston and University of Sydney in Australia recently published a study in Arthritis Care & Research. ”Quality of Osteoarthritis Management and the Need for Reform in the US” is research aimed at drawing attention to the fact that health care professionals in the United States often treat the pain and try to increase function in arthritic knees, but seldom try to improve joint structure or try to work with patients on long-term solutions.
The authors of this study recommend conservative treatment options for knee OA, especially avoiding pharmacological solutions. ”Weight management and exercise programs tend to be overlooked by clinicians,” said Dr. Hunter. ”These conservative approaches are beneficial to patients who adhere to weight-loss and exercise programs.”
The study examined prior research on treating osteoarthritis of the knee and found that up to 30% of surgeries are inappropriate! And as we discussed on this blog arthroscopy should be avoided as a treatment option for knee OA – it doesn’t work yet orthopedic surgeons still perform the operation – every day.
Weight loss and exercise are the best treatment options for knee OA – how many more studies have to be conducted on the subject? Joint health supplements, and knee braces are conservative treatments that will help you get up and moving.
Beware of Gaining Weight
This article is part of a series about managing the side effects of corticosteroids for treating knee osteoarthritis.
Steroids affect how your body deposits fat and your metabolism. Bad news. This can result in an increase in appetite and extra fat deposits around your mid-section.
So watch your calories and exercise regularly.
Obesity Rates Are Rising
It has recently been reported by the Center For Disease Control and Prevention that 50 million adults in the United States were diagnosed with osteoarthritis during 2009. An aging population with rising obesity rates are the primary culprits.
It is estimated that 67 million people will have osteoarthritis by 2030. Conservative estimates say that currently 52 million people suffer from OA.
The most common type of arthritis is osteoarthritis of the knee. Obesity plays a roll in how the disease progresses, the need for surgery, and often times is a factor in how well a patient recovers from total knee replacement.
Weight Loss and Exercise
This is a continuation of our series of articles from the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons’ Full Guideline for the Treatment of Knee Osteoarthritis.
Recommendation 3- Patients who are overweight should lose weight with an appropriate exercise program and change in diet.
Patients with a “Body Mass Index” greater than 25 should be encouraged to lose a minimum of 5% of their body weight. Weight loss will make knees with osteoarthritis function better and improve the overall health of the patient.