Knee and Hip pain is 70% more common in patients with elevated BMI (body mass index).  In preparation to undergo a hip replacement or knee replacement for joint pain, it is imperative to shed any extra weight you may have.  Despite our active lifestyles in San Diego, sometimes it becomes necessary to utilize a diet. Here in America, it seems like most people are always on one type of weight loss diet or another. Comparing which diet helps you lose the most weight is a common topic of conversation these days. But, the answer remains unclear, as each diet has its benefits as well as disadvantages, based on the dieters’ needs. And, when it comes to overweight and obese adults, those needs tend to vary. Oftentimes, the need to eliminate pain is the biggest issue.

How Obesity or Being Overweight Affects Knee and Hip Pain

One thing is clear, though, the heavier you are, the more weight your hips and knees have to carry around all day and night. So, if you’re obese, or very heavy for your body frame, your weight is probably the cause of much of your body pain. If you’ve been having Knee and Hip pain that simply will not go away, your weight is adding to your orthopedic problems. And, even if your orthopedic surgeon recommends knee replacement or hip replacement surgery, the pain still won’t go away for good without your help. You’ll still need to lose a substantial amount of weight in order to improve the outcome of the surgical procedures. If not, eventually, your weight will simply wear down your new hips and knees, causing them to be in pain again in the near future.

JAMA Study on Popular Weight Loss Diets

The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) published an abstract paper in regards to popular diets. Its objective was to determine the outcomes of various popular weight loss diets. In this particular study, overweight adults with body mass indexes above 25 were randomly assigned to a specific popular weight loss diet. They all had to report their body mass indexes and weight at 3-month, 6-month and 12-month follow ups. The study which included 7,286 individual participants.

Results of the JAMA Popular Weight Loss Diets Study

Low Carb Diets Results

The highest weight loss amounts related to low-carbs diets:

• 8.73 kg at 6-month follow up
• 7.25 kg at 12-month follow up

Low Fat Diets Results

The highest weight loss amounts related to low-fat diets:

• 7.99 kg at 6-month follow up
• 7.27 kg at 12-month follow up

Results for Individual Diets

When it comes to the results for individual weight loss diets, the differences were minimal. Here are some examples:

• At 6-month follow up, the Atkins Diet showed greater weight loss of 1.71 kg than the Zone Diet
• Between the 6-month and 12-month follow up periods, the Atkins Diet combined with behavior support had a greater weight loss of 3.23 kg than the Zone Diet.

Weight Loss and Knee and Hip Pain

In other words, both low-carb and low-fat diets can help you achieve your goal of weight loss. The specific named diet doesn’t really seem to matter as long as you cut down on carbs and fat intake. So, what’s the bottom line for overweight and obese adults suffering from knee pain and/or hip pain? Your weight can be a major factor when it comes to sustaining relief from your hip and knee pain. When you combine maintaining a healthy weight with hip replacement or knee replacement surgeries, your long-term outcome is so much more successful.  Much lower risk of infection, blood clots, residual pain, and much longer lasting implant!! If you have been told that you would benefit from hip or knee replacement due to ongoing pain, call our award winning physicians at Orthopedic Surgery San Diego for an appointment.