A doc said my knee would last 10 years. I am fat. How does losing weight affect its "lifespan" specifically

Answer 1

the more weight you carry the more stress is put in your knees. i think when doctors talk about knees wearing out it is the meniscus they are referring to. that's the layer of cartilage thate sits between the bones and cushions them so they don't rub against each other. that's the cartilage that wears down from excessive use and when it goes it is gone. that causes arthritis and some serious pain. ligaments and muscles can be strengthened, but cartilage does not regenerate.

Answer 2

The more weight your knees carry the less time they last...that is the pain will increase and the ability to bear weight will decrease the longer they carry excess weight. At some point you may need a knee (or two) replacement which means your knees outlived their lifespan. Losing weight increases their lifespan simply because then they have less work to do.

Answer 3

Easy, the less you weigh the better it is for you knees. Your knees can only support so much weight before it gets messed up. When that happens, it won't be fun for you. Losing weight is your best bet, unless you want artificial knees. I am on the same boat as you are. Go ask your doctor what type of exercises you can do and what other advice he/she has for you to lose weight. Good luck to you and hope that your knees lifespan will be as long as your own life.

Answer 4

Try to prop up a brick with a tooth pick. What happens? The tooth pick breaks and the brick falls down. Now try the same thing with a piece of 2 x 4 the same size as the brick. No breakage. See the difference?

Answer 5

if you loose weight your knee has less weight to support which means it doesn't have to strain as much to support your body weight.

example - grab a trash bag and keep filling it up with heavy objects, at first it will be fine but as you add more and more objects it will split thus rendering the trash bag useless.

Answer 6

well, imagine you have a see-saw in your yard. if children are the only ones that play on it every day, say, less than 9 years old and average size, do you think the see-saw would last longer than if overweight teenagers or adults played on it every day?

if you try to carry 300 bricks in the trunk of your car, will the tires blow?

Answer 7

Less weight equals less stress on your knee, on all your joints for that matter.

Answer 8

because it puts less pressure on the area, the more pressure there is the faster the cartlidge and bones will wear out from rubbing on each other, the less weight it doesnt rub as hard

Answer 9

excess weight puts more demand on the joint. your knees aren't made to hold up an obese body. the ligaments, joint capsules, etc wear out quicker when they have to hold up more weight than they are designed to hold up.

Answer 10

less weight for your knees seems logical that they would last longer ya know