Do you suffer from knee pain? Have you been diagnosed with arthritis in your knees? Osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis and is the result of the breakdown of the cartilage between bones. It can be caused by age, heredity, injury and/or lifestyle factors. Arthritis is often painful and limits our function. But did you know that losing weight can help your arthritis? For every pound of weight lost, you decrease the stress on your knees by 4 pounds! That means losing as little as 10 extra pounds can decrease the stress on your joints by 40 pounds!!!!
The more weight that is placed on a joint the more stress the joint is under resulting in cartilage damage or furthering already present damage. However, the extra weight is not the only thing that makes the arthritis worse. Fat is a tissue that is full of chemicals, most of which are chemicals that promote inflammation. Thus, carrying extra fatty tissue causes an increase in general inflammation which will also worsen arthritis pain. This is why, in general, being overweight will increase arthritis pain in any joint not just your weight bearing joints.
So, whether it is due to the added stress on your joints or the inflammatory chemicals, do yourself a favor and lose the extra weight to improve your arthritis pain! I would be happy to help you on this journey. Contact me today for a nutrition consultation. 319-721-1438 or [email protected]