People often gain weight after undergoing a knee replacement and this could put both their knees and overall health at risk.
People often gain weight after undergoing a knee replacement and this could put both their knees and overall health at risk.
People typically undergo knee replacement to treat severe osteoarthritis. Due to pain, stiffness and muscle weakness people with severely arthritic joints may become sedentary, while excess weight can itself worsen osteoarthritis by stressing the joint.
To investigate the long-term effects of knee replacement on body weight, researchers followed 106 Americans who underwent a single-knee replacement and 31 people of similar ages who weren't suffering from knee pain, or any heart / lung problems.
Two years after the operation, it was found that two-thirds of patients had gained weight - on average, about 5 kg. The remaining third lost an average of about a kg. However, there was no increase in body weight in the control group. The knee replacement patients who gained weight showed a weakening in their quadriceps or thigh muscles between one and two years after the operation, while there was no change in strength of the quadriceps seen in those who had lost weight. The control group also showed some thigh muscle weakening, but less than was seen in the knee replacement patients who had gained weight.
Given the heavy additional load placed on the knees of people who gain a significant amount of weight after knee surgery - as well as the fact that people tend to put more weight on their other knee after the operation - weight gain would likely speed up the progression of arthritis in that knee.
People typically undergo knee replacement to treat severe osteoarthritis. Due to pain, stiffness and muscle weakness people with severely arthritic joints may become sedentary, while excess weight can itself worsen osteoarthritis by stressing the joint.
To investigate the long-term effects of knee replacement on body weight, researchers followed 106 Americans who underwent a single-knee replacement and 31 people of similar ages who weren't suffering from knee pain, or any heart / lung problems.
Two years after the operation, it was found that two-thirds of patients had gained weight - on average, about 5 kg. The remaining third lost an average of about a kg. However, there was no increase in body weight in the control group. The knee replacement patients who gained weight showed a weakening in their quadriceps or thigh muscles between one and two years after the operation, while there was no change in strength of the quadriceps seen in those who had lost weight. The control group also showed some thigh muscle weakening, but less than was seen in the knee replacement patients who had gained weight.
Given the heavy additional load placed on the knees of people who gain a significant amount of weight after knee surgery - as well as the fact that people tend to put more weight on their other knee after the operation - weight gain would likely speed up the progression of arthritis in that knee.
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