How to Cut Your Odds of Future Knee Pain

What if I told you that there was one thing you could do that would cut your odds in half of developing knee pain from osteoarthritis in ten years? Would I have your interest? Would you sit up and listen?

Maybe not if you don't know about knee osteoarthritis which causes your knees to become stiff, achy and painful, but as the Baby Boomer generation reaches middle age and beyond, the number of people at risk for knee osteoarthritis (OA) will rise substantially. And, knee OA, if left unchecked, will dramatically lower your activity level, help you gain weight and generally steal your joy.

Osteoarthritis is classified as a non-inflammatory, degenerative joint disease. But, the classification is a mistake. Because the condition is non-inflammatory, the proper label would be osteoarthrosis ("itis" means inflammation "osis" means abnormal condition). A degenerative condition is one that progressively worsens causing a slow, steady physical decline.  This leads many people to conclude that if the condition is going to worsen over time, there must be nothing you can do about it. Why bother? Well, there is a lot you can do that will give you dramatic results: lose one pound per year over ten years. You will cut your risk of OA by 50%.

Sounds simple enough. One pound per year. To lose just one pound per year, you have to either cut your caloric intake or increase your energy expenditure by just 10 calories per day. By walking for 10 minutes each day, you can easily lose one pound in a year (you'll actually lose more than one pound). But, if it's so simple, why don't more people do it?

Just because something is simple doesn't mean it's easy. Most of us have a well-oiled habit machine that is in high gear by the time we reach thirty years of age. You may be married, have a career and perhaps children. Your day starts the same way, is filled with duties and responsibilities and then ends often the same way. Unless you exert extra psychological and physical energy, the way you spend those days becomes the way you spend your life.

Changing your diet is hard. Changing your physical activity level is hard. Everything is hard...at first. The secret to making substantial changes in your life is to start with small changes. My friend and colleague, Christine Springer once said, "If you want to see a change in your life, you have to make a change in your life". Pick one thing. Try walking once a day for just ten minutes. Write it down on a calendar. And, do this one thing for three months. Just ten minutes per day. After three months, you will have ingrained a new way of doing things in your life (most research on forming or replacing new habits agrees that the critical time frame is three months. Maybe that's why the drop out rate at fitness centers is so high in the first 90 days. People never form the habit of going to the gym). And, you may find that your success in this area leads to a change in your diet (if you would like to learn more about how to use exercise and diet to lose at least one pound per year, click here).

You can do something about your knee pain and greatly reduce you risk of future knee pain. It's simple but not necessarily easy. Lose just one pound per year. I know you can do it. What do you think? Are you ready?

Doug Kelsey
Chief Physical Therapist

PS - Have you checked out Ready Radio, the newest way to get plugged into Sports Center? This is Sports Center's online radio show and podcast where Christine Springer and I share more secrets to rebuilding your body. And it's free! You can go to Ready Radio's website and listen to each episode or you if you use iTunes, you can click here to go our page in iTunes and download the episodes into your mp3 player. Check it out!

PPS - Early registration ends this Wednesday for our next professional seminar, The Shoulder: Rehab for Rotator Cuff Tendinitis, Tendonosis and Repair, coming February 9-10th. Register by Wednesday and save $50. As always, Sports Center graduates get 20% off. Call Angie at 512-206-0433 today to register.

References: Felson DT. Does excess weight cause osteoarthritis and, if so, why? Ann Rheum Dis 1996;55(9):668-70