Several reports run together to give you a good idea about
why you don’t wanna end up overweight, and especially obese, which is why this
really matters to younger and midlife adults.
The one that stirred my attention was from the June issue
of the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery which determined that the rate of knee
and hip replacements has sky-rocketed over the last 2 decades, a trend the
researchers attribute nearly entirely to the obvious weight gains that have
occurred in North Americans over that span.
This study comes on the heels of a report that knee
replacements are now the 2nd leading cause for surgical intervention
in Canada followed in 3rd spot by hip replacements, 2 surgeries that
were relatively uncommon until the last couple of decades and which are being
done increasingly in younger adults, who, if they live as long as is currently
projected, will likely need 2nd and perhaps even 3rd and
4th operations on the same joint before they finally go.
So now wonder that another Canadian report concludes that
despite all the money they keep pouring into this surgery, governments just
can’t keep up with the demand, which will soon, it seems, outstrip our ability
to do these procedures on everyone who needs them.
And when you add in the fact that another recent survey
found that older adults think the major improvement they could get in health
care is better therapy for osteoarthritis, by far the most common reason for
requiring a joint replacement, because
current OA treatment is really poor, you should conclude that hey! You really
really really really really don’t wanna get OA in the first place.
And the key to reducing your risk is easy: stay mobile,
try to control your weight.
