When it comes to weight for the majority of us we think about the impact it has on how we look. Far fewer think about the impact our weight has on our health, particularly our joint health. Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve had 3 patients in clinic for whom losing weight has had a significant impact on their pain. I will share their stories later but it has served as a great reminder of how maintaining a healthy body weight is essential not only for overall health but also for protecting your joints. Our joints—especially those in the knees, hips, and lower back—are responsible for bearing much of our body weight, so any extra pounds can lead to increased stress and potential joint damage. Join me in exploring the connection between body weight and joint health, how excess weight can exacerbate joint conditions, and practical tips for achieving a joint-friendly lifestyle.
Why Body Weight Affects Joint Health
The relationship between body weight and joint health is straightforward: the more weight your body has to carry, the greater the pressure on your joints, particularly the weight-bearing ones like feet,knees, hips, and spine. Studies have shown that even a small reduction in body weight can significantly reduce the pressure on these joints, alleviating pain and improving mobility.
For example:
- Knees: For every pound of body weight, your knees experience about four pounds of extra pressure when walking. This means that losing just 5 pounds can relieve about 20 pounds of pressure from your knees.
- Hips and Lower Back: Excess body weight also affects the hips and spine, leading to increased wear on these joints, which can contribute to conditions like osteoarthritis, sciatica, and general lower back pain.
How Excess Weight Contributes to Joint Issues
- Increased Wear and Tear: Excess body weight speeds up the wear-and-tear process in joints, especially those that already bear a significant load, like the knees and hips. Over time, this can accelerate the onset and progression of osteoarthritis.
- Inflammation: Body fat, especially visceral fat, produces inflammatory chemicals called cytokines. These compounds can worsen inflammation in the joints, potentially contributing to pain and stiffness associated with arthritis and other joint conditions.
- Altered Joint Alignment: Carrying excess weight can affect your posture and gait, leading to misalignment of joints. This misalignment can lead to uneven weight distribution, placing extra stress on certain parts of the joint and increasing the risk of injury or degeneration.
- Reduced Physical Activity: Individuals carrying extra weight may find it challenging to stay active due to discomfort or joint pain. Unfortunately, reduced physical activity can further weaken muscles and ligaments around the joints, leading to additional strain and worsening joint pain over time.
The Benefits of Weight Loss for Joint Health
Losing even a small percentage of body weight can have a big impact on joint health. Research indicates that losing just 5-10% of body weight can lead to significant improvements in joint pain, function, and overall mobility.
- Reduced Pressure on Joints: Weight loss reduces the mechanical load on joints, which can lessen pain and improve joint function.
- Lower Inflammation Levels: Weight loss is associated with lower levels of inflammation in the body, which can positively impact joint health and reduce arthritis symptoms.
- Improved Mobility: A healthier body weight can make it easier to stay active, which strengthens muscles, improves balance, and provides additional support for the joints.
Vicious Circle!
I’m sure I don’t need to tell you and I know I have experienced this myself BUT LOSING WEIGHT IS NOT EASY!
Especially if your ability to be active is reduced. For many of us, we rely on our active lifestyles to maintain our weight and when this is taken away through pain or injury it is all too easy to put on weight. We often end up making the situation worse because we gain weight. Losing weight when you are physically limited is difficult but it can be done. The key is to do all you can to actively address your pain so that you can increase your activity again. In the meantime try and lose weight but if not just focus on maintaining your weight and not gaining.
Below are a few other tips that might be helpful.
Remember – BE KIND TO YOURSELF.
Practical Tips for Supporting Joint Health Through Weight Management
- Set Realistic Goals: Aim to lose weight gradually, around 1-2 pounds per week. This approach is sustainable and reduces the likelihood of muscle loss, which is essential for joint support. Whilst you are less active your goal maybe just to maintain weight until you are in a better position to lose it.
- Address The Cause Of The Pain: This is crucial – otherwise, you will keep stuck in the vicious circle. If you haven’t done already then seek help to address and resolve the cause of the pain. As a Physiotherapist, there are lots of ways in which I can help and support you click here to find out how. I have Online programs and lots of Free Masterclasses and blogs to get you started.
- Prioritise Joint-Friendly Exercises: Engage in low-impact exercises like swimming, cycling, and walking. These activities place less stress on the joints while still helping with weight loss and cardiovascular fitness.
- Strengthen Supporting Muscles: Strength training can help build the muscles around your joints, providing additional support. Strong quadriceps, for example, can help take pressure off the knees. Take a look at my Online Programs to help with this.
- Focus on a Balanced Diet: A diet rich in anti-inflammatory foods, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats, can aid in weight loss while also reducing inflammation, which benefits joint health.
- Stay Consistent: Incorporating small, sustainable changes into your daily routine is more beneficial in the long run than extreme dieting or intense exercise regimens. Consistency is key to long-term success.
For more help and support to lose weight, this NHS website is a great place to start.
Case Studies
Knee Pain – Case Studies
The effect of extra weight on joint health is something I discuss with many of my patients. Most people understand the impact and will start working to address it as part of their rehab gradually losing weight as they go. However, in the last couple of weeks, I have had 2 ladies both with long-term knee problems who knew that losing weight was going to benefit them but neither lady was in the right head space to do anything about it. They have both worked really hard with their rehab and made significant improvements to their knee pain. But they were both still experiencing some discomfort, so we reassessed what they had been doing and what they still needed to work on and the thing that both of them had not yet addressed was weight loss, one lady had actually gained more weight since we had first met.
So after the review they both concluded that they were going to focus attention on losing weight to help their knee pain. We caught up 8 weeks later and both had seen a big improvement. 1 lady reported having completly resolved her pain with no pain for the previous 3 weeks at all. One lady lost 6 lbs and the other 14 lbs the latter is the equivalent of a 4-stone reduction of load through her arthritic knee!
Both of these ladies followed my Arthritic Knee Program – Click here to find out more.
Plantar Fascia Pain (Plantar Fascitis) – Case Study
Commonly weight plays a big part in this problem. But most people start losing weight when they first begin their program alongside their specific rehab to address their unhealthy foot. But this lady had not again been in the right place in her life at the time to start addressing her weight, she relied on exercise to keep her weight stable normally clocking up 12000 steps a day. So having to reduce her walking had a big impact on her physically gaining weight but mentally also. I had encouraged her to try other forms of exercise in the short term – mainly as I realised that exercise was her crutch to support her mental health rather than for weight reasons. I suggested trying swimming and cycling in the short term whilst her walking was limited, but she never got around to trying them. However, she completely embraced all the other aspects of her rehab. Completing all the exercises for her foot and making all the changes she needed. By engaging with her rehab program she reporting a 95% improvement in her symptoms. It was at this point when she was feeling better in herself that she started focusing on her weight, she is now 7lb lighter and completely pain-free. If you would like to learn more about the Plantar Fascia Pain Program that this lady followed then click here.
These three ladies inspired me to write this blog as it was a great reminder to me of the impact body weight can have, and something I felt compelled to share. I hope they have inspire you too.
Conclusion
Maintaining a healthy body weight can be a powerful tool in managing and preventing joint pain. By reducing the load on weight-bearing joints, minimising inflammation, and encouraging mobility, a healthy weight can significantly improve joint function and quality of life. I’m here to help you to resolve your pain and injuries and if weight is playing a part in your picture I hope this blog and these case studies have inspired you and informed you to move forwards on your own journey.
Take care, Helen
Helen Manders BSc (Hons) MCSP HCPC
Chartered Physiotherapist Since 2001
P.S. Need help to resolve pain or injury? Find out how I can help you click here.
