People with Knee Osteoarthritis could be just a few pounds away from relief

Very attainable weight loss goals are sufficient to reduce pain and therefore motivate overweight patients with knee osteoarthritis to keep lost weight off, according to research presented at the American College of Rheumatology's 2006 Annual Scientific Meeting in Washington, DC. Weight gain dramatically multiplies the pounds of pressure and loading forces on the knee structure. Because this pressure leads to more wear and tear over time, body weight is considered one of the significant contributors to the onset and progression of knee osteoarthritis. Conversely, weight loss can relieve those realities. However, for the 35,000,000 people, 65 years of age and older, whose quality of life is already compromised by osteoarthritis, the need to make large scale changes in their eating and lifestyle habits can be as overwhelming as the symptoms of the disease itself. In this study, a long-term weight loss program has demonstrated that even modest weight loss contributed to improved quality of life in 30 mildly obese patients, and the resulting reduction in pain was so dramatic as to motivate their keeping the weight off. While participants were generally in their late 50s/early 60s, female and white, the improvements they realized in losing and keeping weight off were consistent despite age, race, sex, education or magnitude of weight loss. On average, the group lost 6.8 kg (15 pounds) over 4 months of weekly meetings focused on diet, exercise and lifestyle changes. After quarterly meetings over the following year, they had regained an average of only 2.5 kg (5.5 pounds). The initial weight loss was associated with reduced body pain levels and a quality of life comparable to healthy adults in the same age bracket. The reduction in body pain then motivated participants to maintain their weight loss. For someone who is very overweight, as little as a 15-pound weight loss over 16 weeks can result in decreased discomfort, increased quality of life, and motivation for staying active and healthy, explains Steffany Haaz, Project Director, Johns Hopkins Arthritis Center, Baltimore, Maryland; doctoral candidate, Department of Health, Behavior and Society, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health; and an investigator in the study. That means just one pound a week translates into significant improvements in comfort and movement.

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