Approximately 40% of American adults are classified as obese, and about 1 in 10 are in the category termed “severely” obese. If you’re overweight or obese, your joints likely hurt. Those extra pounds cause premature wear and tear on the cartilage cushion between your bones. You’re at risk for early joint deterioration.
Perhaps you’ve tried numerous strategies to shed the weight over the years, but nothing has worked. You’ve heard many doctors tell you to lose weight. No doubt you’ve heard about drugs designed for diabetes that can help you lose weight. It’s time to try a new approach that works.
Board-certified orthopedic surgeon Dr. Jonathan Shults with Coastal Empire Orthopedics in Savannah, Georgia, prescribes semaglutide, a GLP-1 medication, for obese patients. The drug kills two birds with one stone, so to speak, because it not only helps you lose weight, but the weight loss eases pressure on your joints and helps you feel better.
Following are three ways that weight loss from GLP-1 medication can help ease your joint pain.
Every extra pound you carry places 4 extra pounds of force on your joints. Your hips, knees, and ankles must carry you millions of miles throughout your lifetime. If you’re 50 pounds over a normal weight, you’re placing 200 pounds of extra force on your knees and ankles.
That arithmetic helps you understand why it’s so important to try to get as close as you can to a normal weight for your height and bone structure.
Excess fat cells cause inflammation to spike. Inflammation causes pain. Fat cells produce inflammatory proteins that cause cartilage breakdown. Your body loses its defenses as it tries to repair damaged cartilage.
Once you begin to lose weight with semaglutide, your joints are less inflamed. In turn, you feel less burning in them. You have less inflammation.
Do your joints hurt so much that your quality of life is diminished? Do you order food online instead of going to the grocery store? Perhaps you no longer join a group of friends going on an outing; staying on your feet hurts too badly.
Our medically supervised weight loss plan not only includes semaglutide injections, but we also develop a personalized plan and monitor your progress. Within weeks, you’ll see and feel a difference in your energy level, your pain level, and your ability to move. You’ll once again be able to engage in the types of activities you love for a better quality of life.
Call Coastal Empire Orthopedics or book an appointment online today to learn how GLP-1 medications under medical supervision can be a game-changer in your life.
