Benefit of Weight Loss Before Knee Replacement Surgery
If you have a total knee replacement surgery planned, you’ll be helping yourself by losing weight before improve your results after having the knee replacement operation done.
A report in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (Oct. 2012) says that overweight ‘obese’ patients are at a far higher risk of complications following the knee surgery.
Extra pounds can also affect recovery time and when healing doesn’t happen as it should a patients can run the risk of going through another painful surgery. If you are having knee pain or anticipating knee replacement surgery now is the time to lose weight so you can heal quicker and take care of your overall health and mobility.
Complications of Knee Surgery Without Losing Weight
- Extra pounds mean extra pressure, the healing time can take much longer
- Infection can set in the more time you take to heal the greater the chances of infection
- You will be using a cane or crutches putting extra pressure on your the rest of your body
- Mobility will already be restricted and worse without the weight loss
- Extra weight will be put unneeded pressure on the knee joint may stop healing
- There is a chance that you may have to do the surgery done again as extra weight restricts healing
- If you don’t lose weight some surgeons will not even perform a knee replacement surgery
Importance is Losing Weight Before Knee Replacement Surgery
- Weight loss before knee replacement will alleviate extra pressure
- Your knee joint will likely heal far more quickly
- As the pressure is less, you may notice lesser pain in the knee
- You will be able to move around easier and when you move you heal faster
- By keeping your weight down healing tends to occur faster
- Many people have to have the surgery re done if they are unable to exercise, scar tissue and healing can become an issue and a second surgery may be required
Being over weight may have been contributed to knee replacement surgery, maintaining a healthy weight is imperative to good overall health.
Often people who start with knee pain think it will heal by itself, but there are many factors such as painful osteoarthritis or worn joints are part of the vicious cycle as the pain has made it too difficult to exercise. But now you have reached the point of surgery and you suddenly realize that you want to lose fast weight loss to heal quickly and make it easier to cope with recovery.
You can work with a personal trainer to help with exercise or reduce calorie intake to reduce the weight.
Concluding Weight Loss Before Knee Surgery
If you haven’t been on a weigh loss plan for sometime and need to lose weight fast its worth following and easy to plan for safe weight loss. If you have no other conditions and your Dr. gives the okay, get a start with a good weight loss plan prior to surgery.
Start a light exercise program and weight loss plan for maximum recovery.