CINCINNATI (WKRC) - A new report says something simple you might be able to reduce joint pain from arthritis.
A study that was just released is looking at the problem in those who have knee pain from arthritis and are overweight.
Quite often, joint pain in the knee eventually gets so bad that you end up needing surgery for any number of things, including joint replacement.
The team at OrthoCincy there says knee surgeries and joint replacements are quite common as arthritis pain gets worse.
But a new study in arthritis care and research did a follow up study to find out just how weight loss can help the problem and how it may help delay the need for treatment such as surgery.
Here is what they found:
Previous studies had shown that weight loss of ten percent of your weight, so maybe something like 15 pounds over about 18 months, would lead to a 50 percent pain reduction and better movement in people with arthritis.
The new study found greater weight loss leads to even better outcomes with knee osteoarthritis. A weight loss of 20 percent of your body weight led to an additional 25 percent in pain reduction and physical function.
Now what's interesting is why it's not just knee compression, although that matters, it also was found to reduce something called IL6 which is an inflammation marker in the body.
Bottom line is that this study shows dropping 20 percent of your body weight if you are overweight can lead to better outcomes with knee arthritis.
