Many people suffer from both arthritis and obesity. But what started it all? Which came first? There are three possible explanations.
Arthritis And Obesity: Obesity Comes First
When a person carries extra pounds on their frame, they are putting additional stress on their joints. This extra pressure reduces the amount of cartilage separating the bones, and even causes wear on the bones. Arthritis patients most often have a couple of major complaints regarding pain: their knees hurt. Pain in the hips is also sometimes an issue, and both can be explained by the wearing away of cartilage and bone caused by extra weight.
Research has shown that if obesity predates an arthritis diagnosis, even a minimal weight loss may help lower issues caused by arthritis.
While joint replacement surgery may help arthritis symptoms, many surgeons are reluctant to operate on obese patients due to the increased risk of complications.
Arthritis/Obesity: First comes Arthritis
If you are used to eating fairly large quantities of food and then exercising vigorously to work off the calories (units of energy utilized by your body), weight gain may become a problem if the joints in your hips and knees become so sore and stiff you can no longer follow your daily exercise routine.
If you start to see some indicators of arthritis, it’s time to go see your doctor. There are drugs which can help you deal with arthritis effects, and your doctor may prescribe those in addition to injections, physical therapy, or even joint replacement.
Should you have to cut back on your physical activity due to the effects of your arthritis, don’t neglect altering your diet as well. It’s probably going to be necessary to reduce the calories you eat daily, since you might not get as many opportunities to burn them off. Monitor your weight by getting on the scale every other day or so, just to make sure you’re not gaining.
Obesity and Arthritis: the things that can cause both
We know that obesity and arthritis are closely correlated, but it does not appear that arthritis causes obesity, or the other way around either. It’s true that a person suffering from one is very likely to have the other, but this correlation is not a causation.
This has, of course, led those in the scientific community to question whether there may be a third piece in the obesity/arthritis puzzle which might be the cause of both conditions. For instance, age is a factor that increases the risk for both conditions. Sadly, however, at this time researchers have yet to find the thing which might cause both obesity and arthritis.
Your best bet for preventing arthritis and obesity appears to be eating a regular diet, moving your body on a regular basis, and seeing the doctor right away if you have pain that prevents you from completing your normal exercise routines.
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