Information for Medical Professionals
Weight gain is common after total knee replacement
People often experience weight gain after total knee replacement surgery, it has been claimed.
According to one of the researchers behind a new study which looks into patient weight following surgery, it is a commonly held truism that people generally achieve weight-loss after knee replacement surgery because the barriers to exercise will have been removed.
However, orthopaedic experts Joseph Zeni and L Snyder-Mackler told Reuters that the opposite is true.
"Our findings do not support this notion," the pair told the news provider.
Their team followed 106 patients who underwent knee replacement surgery and followed them up two years after undergoing the procedure. It was found that two-thirds of the patients involved had actually gained weight.
The researchers noted that those who had experienced weight gain between their operation and their two-year consultation also experienced weakening in their quadriceps.
The Arthritis Foundation recently highlighted the benefits of weight loss for osteoarthritis sufferers.
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