Orthopaedic surgeons may want to consider bariatric consultation for patients who struggle with obesity and knee pain that’s not connected to advanced osteoarthritis, according to a recommendation from the authors of a new study .
Researchers recently explored how much of an effect gastric bypass surgery had on knee pain. They presented their results at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.
By helping people lose weight, bariatric surgery can reduce knee pain, the authors wrote. In fact, the results were comparable to having knee replacement surgery, according to a news release from the AAOS.
Doctors have long known that there is a link between carrying too much weight – having an elevated body mass index – and symptomatic knee osteoarthritis. But little research was done in the past on how surgical weight loss procedures affected knee pain and function.
The new study looked at 20 gastric bypass patients and 40 patients who underwent total knee replacement for symptomatic osteoarthritis.
Both groups were followed for one year following the type of surgery they had. Those who had bariatric surgery reported significant improvement in how much knee pain they had and how well their knee was able to function. In fact, when compared to the patients who had just the knee replacement, the results were comparable.
Source: American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
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