Larger Weight Loss Tied to Greater Improvements in Arthritic Knees

Although it’s possible to lose weight without physical activity, adding exercise to a weight loss program may help people achieve more lasting results in terms of reducing pain from knee OA, says Anita Wluka, a researcher at Monash University in Australia who wasn’t involved in the study.

“We know that any weight loss is likely to improve symptoms over the longer term,” Ms. Wluka says by email. “Weight loss with exercise is important to maintain weight loss.”

Reference

Messier SP, Resnik AE, Beavers DP, et al. Intentional weight loss for overweight and obese knee osteoarthritis patients: Is more better? Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken). 2018 Jun 18. [Epub ahead of print]

The Plenary III Session reviewed the results of the SAPHYR trial of sarilumab in PMR patients, as well as the WE-CAN study on the impact of a community-level diet & exercise program on knee pain in patients with knee osteoarthritis.

The benefits of exercise therapy for individuals with knee osteoarthritis (OA) are well known. The ACR strongly recommends both aquatic exercise and land-based aerobic and resistance exercise for managing knee OA.1 A recent Cochrane systematic review and meta-analysis concluded that high-quality evidence supports the use of exercise to reduce pain and improve physical function and…

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