NYT photograph

As an anesthesiologist, I have witnessed the explosion in orthopedic surgery – joint replacements and back surgery especially – in recent years.  Much is related to obesity.  While we’re fortunate to have this technology, the best choice is to prevent it (osteoarthritis = “wear and tear” arthritis) in the first place.

A nice article in the New York Times summarizes some preventive steps.

“A woman’s risk for developing OA is linearly related to her weight,” Dr. David Felson, a rheumatologist and arthritis-prevention specialist at Boston University School of Medicine, said, referring to osteoarthritis.

But a woman can substantially lower her risk by shedding pounds. One study in which Dr. Felson was a co-author found that when a woman lost 10 pounds, her risk of osteoarthritis of the knee dropped by half.

Moreover, as we previously reported, a different study showed that when people with knee pain enrolled in a weight loss program, losing a similar amount of weight, they were less likely to DIE!