Can Weight Loss Improve Symptoms Caused by Arthritis?

Arthritis is the common name given to a group of over a hundred types of diseases affecting the joints. The common symptoms of arthritis include: pain in the joints, inflammation, swelling, stiffness, and reduced motion. While arthritis can affect people of any age group, it is more prevalent in the elderly. This article discusses the relationship between body weight and arthritis and how being overweight can affect the condition, and consequently how losing weight can help.

Arthritis can be caused by various reasons. Some of them are tightly connected with genetics. If someone close from your family was suffering from arthritis, then there are chances that you may be affected by this disease. Another thing that may have an impact on arthritis is weight. People with weight problems are prone to arthritis, more so than a person who is taking care of his or her weight. For example, the people with weight problems put more pressure on their knees and ankles. And with constant pressure on the knees and the ankles, arthritis may be imminent. That's why people should be really careful with their weight. If you have a problem like this, then you should start a diet immediately. Weight loss can incredibly improve arthritis, and now we are going to tell you why.

• Decreased pain
• Improved joint movements
• Improved health
• A better night's sleep
• Decreased inflammation
• Money savings

Depending on your weight, arthritis can be very painful or bearable. If you have weight problems, then you put a lot of pressure on the joints on your legs and your back. That is very dangerous for the people who are already suffering from arthritis. If you have arthritis symptoms, then weight loss can be a key element in reducing the pain. People who are thinner put less pressure on their joints, so the pain is not too severe and it’s bearable. This means that weight loss can really improve the symptoms of arthritis.

With weight loss, you can seriously improve the movements in your joints. People with weight problems have real trouble with the movements in their joints. They feel constant pain, which is an obvious sign of arthritis. In order to save yourself from further suffering, join some weight loss program. After you lose some weight, you will feel that there is a serious improvement in your joint movements. Put less pressure on your joints as much as you can, and you will see the results.

Now when we talk about weight loss, we must mention your health. The heavier you are, the more problems you will have with your health. We can’t forget about your heart or blood pressure. And when you include arthritis in all of that, you will understand how dangerous the weight problem can be. If you lose some weight, you will improve your health as well.

Just like with health, with weight loss you can have better sleep at night. Imagine a night without snoring and choking. Just ask yourself, how many times you have awakened yourself from sleep, because of the pain in your joints. If you want to have better dreams and to sleep tight at night, then you have to lose some weight. The less pain you feel, the better dreams you will have.

Decreased inflammation can be a real pain relief when it comes to arthritis. People who have weight problems are prone to increased inflammation. That causes their nerves to keep a constant pressure on their joints, and that can be really painful. You will have to take medications that can even increase your appetite, and with that, your weight.

At first, money savings don’t mean anything when it comes to weight loss and arthritis. But you don’t know how tightly are they connected. If your weight causes you to suffer from arthritis, then all the treatments and medications cost a lot of money. You will lose hundreds of dollars weekly on a medication and treatments. With healthier diet and exercise, you can prevent all that from happening to you.

Conclusion:

Arthritis is a progressive disorder that affects the joints. It can be very painful, leading to difficulty moving, and causing several limitations on the patient’s life. Having arthritis and being overweight is a double edged sword; on the one hand the joint pain and swelling makes exercising difficult, thus adding to weight gain, and the extra weight puts additional pressure on the joints, increasing the pain and causing the disease to progress faster.

In a situation like this, small steps in the direction of losing weight is a good start for overall improvement of health. If exercising is difficult at first, then start with a diet that restricts fat and calorie intake, and eat smaller meals more frequently to help normalise blood sugar and kick start fat burning. Once a few pounds have been shed then some low impact exercises like brisk walking, swimming, cycling, or a stationary bike can be started. Remember, always start slow and then gradually pick up the pace or the number of rotations as your body gets more used to the exercise. Within a few weeks of starting the diet and exercise, more and more pounds will start to drop.

For each pound dropped there is an exponential reduction in pressure on the joints. The weight loss will not be able to repair the damage that has already taken place in the joints, but it will most certainly help to reduce pain, reduce inflammation and swelling, and, very importantly, slow down the progression of the disease.

It always helps to have a support group to keep you motivated. Look for group options with individuals who are going through the same or similar situations to your own. While watching healthy people who have been working out for years can be very demotivating, having people who are going through the same struggle as you but not giving up can be a good moral boost.

Weight loss can really improve the symptoms that cause arthritis. We gave you enough reasons to motivate you. Now everything is on you; if you want to lead a healthier life join some of the weight loss programs, and you will feel better and live healthier.