Knee problems

[Deborah Mason]

I am about 1.5 stone overweight. When I was 1.5 stone lighter than I am now, I was running regularly (about 12 miles a week). However, as a result of running on the roads, I have painful, clicky knees so much so that anyone walking behind me up a flight of stairs cringes. Some days they are very painful and can be painful after my Zumba class.

I guess it's obvious that carrying 1.5 stone too much will have an effect on damaged knees. I really do need to make an appointment to see my GP to get referred to have my knees looked at. Are there any strengthening exercises I could do to help my knees? Will losing weight make a difference or not? (my mum had a knee replacement last year, and my sister has knee problems and both are normal weight - maybe even slightly under weight). Am I likely to be looked at less favourably for any surgery as I am overweight?

Thank you in anticipation of your help.

[Lisa Holmes]

Hello, in my limited experience of orthopaedics they would probably encourage you to try and reduce your weight if you already recognise that your weight has increased to try and ease the pain a little if they have less weight to carry, but my thought would be that if you are only slightly overweight and you required surgery this would be unlikely to prevent you from being put forward for the procedure.

[Denise Kennedy]

Hi Deborah - you raise some really interesting questions. A little while ago I looked into the issues of obesity and hip replacement surgery and the conclusion was that although the complication rate of surgery was sometimes higher in patients who are very overweight, being very overweight should not be a barrier to having the surgery if needed.
Looking into the issues of being overweight with total knee replacement gives similar results. One study in 2009 (Dowsey et.al.) said that the rate of complications of surgery were higher the more overweight a person was, but Amin et.a l (2006) said there were no difference in complication rates.
In terms of outcomes of this operation, Amin also said that being overweight "did not influence the clinical outcome 5 years after total knee replacement". And another study (Haider et. al. 1998) said "age and obesity do not have a negative impact on patient relevant outcomes (pain and physical function)".

So, as Lisa said, the majority of surgeons would encourage you to lose weight prior to surgery, but if surgery is needed being a little overweight should not be seen as a barrier to having the operation.

Of course, the positive side is that once a painful knee has been corrected people should be much more able to exercise and therefore, more easily lose weight. One study (Dowsey 2009) showed that 12.6% did indeed lose weight, but 21% gained weight after the op. So you will still need to watch what you eat!!!!!

I hope the forum exercise expert will be able to comment on your questions in relation to specific exercises.

[Loolo]

Hello all,

I have a similar problem with my knee. I'm 33 and is considered obese now coz of my BMI is 31 and I'm only 5.6 tall. I have tear and wear in my right knee patella. This means I can't do any high intensity exercising or classes or I might harm them more. I have also started going on a low fat diet as I have gallstones. Would you please advice on what proper actions I can/should take to lose weight ?

[Wendy Green]

Hi Deborah,

Every extra pound of weight you are carrying will exert a load of 4 pounds on your knee joints - so clearly losing weight would make a huge difference to your knees.

Also, it sounds as though you are suffering from osteoarthritis (OA) in your knee joints, probably caused by the wear and tear your knees sustained when you were running on the roads. With OA you should really avoid strenuous exercise like Zumba, as it can cause further joint damage and pain. Why not try something gentler like walking, yoga or swimming? Swimming is especially good for OA sufferers as the water supports the body's weight, so there is less strain on the joints.

I hope this helps.