Is Excess Weight Destroying Your Knees?

Excess weight might be destroying your knees

We all know from magazine articles, newspapers, and health shows that having excess weight really does a number on our bodies. You’ve seen the warnings on posters at your doctor’s office and maybe you were even warned that you need to lose some weight.

 
We’d all be wise to pay close attention to the warnings. While we might not feel the effects now, it will eventually catch up to us. Even if you’re only mildly overweight, you can be causing damage to your body today.

Mildly overweight means that you have a body mass index (or BMI) of 2.5 to 29.9. Once you hit 35 on the BMI that’s considered obesity. Losing weight might be one of those things you’ve always intended to get around to doing – but as the days (and then the months) slip by, you put it off.

After awhile, you start noticing that you’re aching in new places on your body – especially the knees. You step on the scale and are surprised to see that you’ve put on excess weight.

Is there a relation between weight gain and pain in the knee joints? Your knee is designed to handle a lot of use and impact. However, some bad habits you have might just be laying the foundation for recurring pain and even loss of use of your knees.

The formula to figure out how much pressure is exerted on your knees is the 3 for 1 formula. For every added pound you add to your body, you multiply the pounds of pressure your knees feel by three.

If you’re ten pounds over your healthy weight, it might not seem like a big deal now, but it’s like you’ve attached thirty pounds of weight to each of your knee joints. The more weight, the greater the pressure and eventually, they will give way if you don’t take action.

Joint pain and osteoarthritis can easily become the side effects of carrying too much weight. So can cartilage problems. It’s easier when you’re overweight for it to be more difficult for your knees to heal in the event of an injury, too.

Exercise that’s low impact can help you shed pounds and give your knees much needed relief. Walking is one low impact way to lose weight and gain better joint health. Swimming is especially good for exercising – even if you don’t have joint problems because the water offers support for your body while you’re working out.

Losing weight doesn’t just give you better joint health, but it can also help alleviate pain from conditions such as arthritis. Once you start exercising and losing weight, you’ll also notice that your joints aren’t as stiff and that it’s easier to get out of bed in the morning.

You’ll also find that by keeping your body at a healthy weight, you can maintain long-term pressure management and keep your joints healthier a lot longer.