How Losing Some Weight Helps Arthritis

Despite all the advances in modern medicine, there is still no cure for diseases such as arthritis. While it may not be as fatal as cancer, or as contagious as HIV, arthritis is a very painful condition that can significantly reduce the quality of life of most patients.
One of the much-touted ways of lessening arthritis pain is controlled weight loss. This is even more important, considering that up to two-thirds of all adults with arthritis are obese, or overweight.
When we talk about weight loss, you probably think about going to the gym 4-5 days a week. However, research shows that dieting - an oft-forgotten but crucial component of weight loss programs - will help you reduce weight faster on its own compared to exercising. That being said, you can achieve even better results by combining healthy nutrition and regular physical activity. Here's how a lower body weight will help with your arthritis:
arthritis pain management floral park queens ny

Reduces Pressure on Joints
Studies show that for obese adults suffering from knee osteoarthritis (OA), losing one pound of fat removes up to four pounds of pressure off the knees. Thus, the more pounds you lose, the more mobile your knees will be.
Keeps Psoriatic Arthritis At Bay
Arthritis and obesity increase one's risk of developing psoriatic arthritis.
Reduced Inflammation
Apart from adding undue pressure on the joints, fat tissues, primarily the adipose tissue, produce chemicals that systemically cause inflammation, such as pro-inflammatory cytokines. Shedding off some body fat will consequently reduce the fat tissues, which further reduces inflammation.
Preserving Knee Cartilage
Osteoarthritis (OA) patients, and generally people who are at risk of the disease, often experience deterioration of knee cartilage as the condition progresses. The degeneration of cartilage is even faster for obese people, due to the extra pressure on the knees. As some studies show, cutting off some weight can help prevent degeneration and promote the preservation of the knee cartilage.
Additionally, losing weight has been shown to reduce the potential risks of damage to the meniscus, which is basically the knee's shock absorber. According to Dr. John Goodman, a practicing rheumatologist at UCSF Health, the more weight you lose, the healthier your knee cartilage and meniscus will be.
Boosts The Chances of Remission for Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA)
Research shows that if you're suffering from Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), weight loss is a sure way to boost your chances of achieving remission. In particular, a 2017 study by the Weill Cornell Medical School in New York, concluded that overweight patients were 25 percent less likely to get to remission compared to people with a healthy weight. It is even worse for obese patients, who were found to be 47 percent less likely to achieve the same within 3 years.
In summary 
Your body weight determines, to a large extent, the severity of arthritis pain. The more you weigh, the more the pressure on your joints, and the more pain you will experience. Further, being overweight when diagnosed with arthritis means that any joint injuries, whether from sports or accidents, will be more devastating and lethal (and cause accelerated cartilage loss) as compared to non-overweight arthritis patients. You are therefore advised to get into a weight management program as soon as you're diagnosed with arthritis.


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