Weight Loss and Knee Pain: How Losing Weight Will Help Relieve Pain
Obesity affects more than one-third of adults in the United States. A serious condition, it can put you at risk for many health problems. including diabetes, high blood pressure, gallbladder disease, and heart disease. It can also increase your risk of certain cancers!
Not only that, but it puts extra stress on your knees. This can lead to osteoarthritis and chronic pain.
What’s the link between weight loss and knee pain? Read on to find out.
Why Does Weight Matter?
Every time you take a step, you’re placing pressure on your knees. The heavier you are, the greater the pressure. Over time, this can cause damage to your joints and can lead to stiffness, pain, and swelling.
In addition, it could speed up the loss of cartilage. Without it, your bones will start to rub against each other every time you move. As you can imagine, it's quite painful.
The Link Between Weight Loss and Knee Pain
Losing weight benefits your knees in two ways. First of all, it decreases the amount of pressure on the joints. More specifically, you’ll be taking 4 pounds of pressure off for every pound lost. Not only that, but weight loss can help to reduce inflammation. This means that you’ll be less likely to experience joint pain. Plus, it could lower your risk for osteoarthritis.
Ways to Lose Weight
There are a number of things that you can do to shed extra pounds. Take exercise, for example—it’s a great way to burn off the calories. You don’t have to start off with an intense regimen, either. For instance, you can just go for a walk after dinner.
Reducing your portion sizes can help as well. That way, you won’t be consuming as many calories per meal.
Meal prep and packing your meals instead of eating out can also help you avoid extra fat and calories.
Need help? A weight loss program can help make losing weight fast and easy. They'll help you learn the best way to lose weight safely and naturally.
How Much Weight Should I Lose?
There’s no set number; every pound you lose will make a difference. With that said, it's recommended that you aim for a 10% weight loss if you’re overweight. Researchers have found that that’s enough to reduce both pain and inflammation in the knees.
Remember, weight loss takes time. So don’t be discouraged if you don’t see immediate results. Aim for a loss of 1 to 2 pounds per week.
Taking Care of Your Knees
As you can see, there's a definite link between weight loss and knee pain. Why suffer when you can do something about it, right?
Looking for a way to relieve the pain in the meantime? We can help—feel free to contact us to set up an appointment to learn more about our knee pain treatment and weight loss. Together they can help you feel and look great!
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