FEATURE: NATALIE REED, PA-C; KELLY S. REED, PharmD, MPA, PA-C
The Impact of Obesity on Knee OA Symptoms and Surgical Outcomes Weight loss is associated with reduced pain, improved function, and better quality of life in patients with knee OA who are overweight or obese.
O
steoarthritis (OA), or degenerative joint disease, is the most common form of arthritis, affecting more than 32.5 million adults in the United States.1 Osteoarthritis results from damage to or breakdown of cartilage between bones, with the knee being the most common lower-limb joint affected by OA. The prevalence of OA significantly increases with age.1
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Risk Factors for Knee OA
The knee is the most common lower-limb joint affected by OA.
Knee OA is a multifactorial disease, with many risk factors playing a role in symptomatic findings and disease progression. Risk factors for knee OA include obesity, physical stress at work, previous trauma or injury to the knee, genetics, and gender (occurs more commonly in women than men).1,2 Common knee surgeries, such as anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) repair and arthroscopic meniscal surgery, may increase a patient’s risk of developing OA,3 in part because of alterations in gait after surgery. Evidence also suggests that varus malalignment increases the risk of developing OA in the medial tibiofemoral aspect of the knee.4 In patients who are obese, increased compressive load on the medial compartment during weight-bearing activities can result in medial tibiofemoral OA.4 It is important for primary care providers to educate their patients about modifiable risk factors for knee OA, such as obesity, so that patients can incorporate changes into their daily routine to improve symptoms of knee pain.
16 THE CLINICAL ADVISOR • MARCH/APRIL 2021 • www.ClinicalAdvisor.com
