Orange County Massage and How Your Weight Affects Your Joints

June 19, 2010 - PRLog -- Everyone knows about the dangers of obesity. They are too numerous to mention. Today I would like to discuss a consequence of obesity that many people do not normally think about.

Every week I see post-surgical knees, ankles, and hips. The surgical procedures include joint replacements, fracture repairs, meniscal surgeries, and ACL repairs. Many of these patients have relatively speedy recoveries. Some run in to problems with their rehabilitation. One thing is clear: Obese patients run into post-surgical problems far more often than their fit counterparts. Three specific problems that I see as a clinician involve the pain response, circulatory issues, and joint placement.

Obese patients who have knee surgery are at a huge disadvantage. The most obvious problem involves the body’s ability to accept weight on a joint that has been traumatized by surgery. Inflammation and strain cause the patient to shift his or her weight to the non-surgical side in response to pain. This in fact a normal response, but the pain is often amplified by increased weight placed through the involved joint.

Strength also plays a vital role in the pain process. Strong muscles tend to disperse forces placed on the joints. Although obesity does not necessarily correlate with muscle weakness, it does make sense that many overweight individuals are sedentary. Sedentary individuals are more likely to have muscle weakness.

Secondly, obese individuals often have circulatory issues in their extremities. Compromised circulation leads to an impaired ability of the body to heal itself. This adds to both the time and the effectiveness of healing.

Obese people are also affected by joint positioning. A morbidly obese person’s hips, for example, are forced to function at an angle that is not ideal because of the fat tissue that lines the inner thighs. Many of us have seen how an obese person walks differently. The hips and feet are pointed outwards. A hip replacement can at first lessen the pain associated with such a hip, but the same positional problem remains. This makes rehabilitation and long-term function more difficult.

Good orthopedic surgeons will include discussions about the complications of obesity with their patients. Many surgeons will refuse to perform surgeries if the patient is obese. Some patients, once they have lost weight, no longer need to have surgery because their symptoms go away.

These observations are indeed sobering. Please make an effort to lose weight if you are overweight and considering orthopedic surgery.

Did you lose weight? Did it lessen your joint pain? Please share your comments below.

For more information visit http://orange-county-massage.nlds.us or call us directly. Here is another Orange County article http://www.prlog.org/10747501-orange-county-dispensaries-... for your reading enjoyment.

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