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Obesity and arthritis

Arthritis is a joint disease resulting in inflammation. A joint is a part of the body where two different bones join. A joint functions to move the parts of body connected by its bones. Arthritis is frequently accompanied by pain in the joints. The arthritis comprises a group of more than 100 diseases which involves the inflammation of the joints and faintness in connective tissues of all parts of the body. In many countries the disease is called rheumatism.

The symptoms of arthritis include the pain and the limited function of the joints. The inflammation of the joints is characterized by rigidity, swelling and redness. The tenderness in joint can also be present. Arthritis is a rheumatic disease which can cause symptoms affecting the various organs of the body which does not imply the joints directly. Consequently, the symptoms in some patients can also include the loss of weight, fever, tiredness, the swelling of gland, and even the symptoms such as anomalies of the organs like the lungs, the heart, or the kidneys.

The symptoms of arthritis such as the pain, the rigidity and the loss of mobility are worse in the people who are having excessive weight as their joints are put under a greater pressure of load. The musculo-skeletal problems, including arthritis, are much more widespread among the obese patients, than the normal weighted persons. In majority of the cases, increased body weight contributes increased load to the knee approximately three to seven times the body weight and results in the damage of the cartilage.

Obesity is a potential risk factor of for the beginning and the deterioration of the musculo-skeletal setting of the ankle, hip, the foot, the knee, and the shoulder. The majority of research is concentrated on the impact of obesity on bone and joint chaos, such as the risk of rupture and arthritis. Researches indicate that obesity can also have a major effect on structures of soft-fabric, such as the tendon, the cartilage and the fascia.

Even though the mechanism is not very clear, the functional and structural limitations caused by the additional loading of the locomotor system due to obesity and results in musculo-skeletal damage. Moreover, the relationship between obesity and the arthritis are stronger and the possibility of disease is larger among women. The weight transmitted to the knees changes with the increased body weight.

To increase the life expectancy, coupled with the obese states of excessive weight of the population will lead to a greater number of patients presenting of the problems of knee due to the arthritis. Several changes, metabolic as well as functional, connect obesity to arthritis. The exercises are generally good for the functional statute and it is recommended at the beginning to prescribe the weight loss.

The treatments for arthritis include the rest and relieving, the exercise, the balanced diet, good medicines, the weight loss and the instruction about the suitable use of the joints and the manners of preserving energy. Other treatments include the use of the methods to relieve assistive pain and the use of devices such as splints or braces. In serious cases, the surgery could be necessary. The doctor and the patients work together to develop a plan of treatment, which combines usually several types of treatment.