Being overweight, and your precious knees

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Monday, November 13. 2017

Being overweight, and your precious knees

Human joints in general are delicate structures. Part of the reason is because we were not entirely designed to walk upright, but part of the reason is because we were not designed to live as long as we do or to be as heavy as many of us are. You can argue that our bodies were designed to live around 40 years - long enough to breed asap and raise some little ones like the other great apes.

While muscles respond well to stress, joints do not. The worst thing you can do to your hips and knees is to be overweight. That is why, in the UK and many other European nations, if you are overweight they will leave you a cripple and tell you it's your own fault. Government medicine will buy you a 12-Euro cane. In Euroland today you see people with canes, walkers, and wheelchairs who would be playing tennis and hiking in the US.

How Overweight Causes Knee Problems

Study links obesity to rise in knee dislocations

Similar issues apply to hips and lower back. Nothing but trouble. Shoulders can wear out too, but that's a separate topic with different causes.

Posted by Dr. Joy Bliss in Medical at 14:02 | Comments (9) | Trackbacks (0)

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Gosh, what a surprise. We had no idea why our knees fail!

#1 pbird on 2017-11-13 14:35 (Reply)

Part of the reason is because we were not entirely designed to walk upright ???????????????

#2 Oldblood on 2017-11-13 14:58 (Reply)

true. bipedalism very rare in mammals.

#2.1 BD on 2017-11-13 16:07 (Reply)

I wish more doctors would refer morbidly or super obese people to get counseling. I have a woman in my family who is severely obese. Has been overweight her whole life. Her parents (mother normal weight, father obese) created this person by overfeeding her and spoiling her. Now she is doing the same to her young daughter.

My relative had stomach stapling surgery years ago, to no affect. Lost some weight, then just packed it back on. This person need PSYCHOLOGICAL help. She is ill all the time, and doesn't seem to connect it to her severe obesity. She has knee problems, and she hasn't even hit 40.

Why can't we as a society change how we medically help these kinds of people? She doesn't think 'diet or exercise' will help b/c in her mind her obesity is not her fault. This is a psychological problem...and it needs to be solved.

Really upsets me to see this person complain on Facebook all the time about her aches & pains and finding huge clothing sizes for her child, but the REAL problem just sits there in front of my face.

Sorry, but I have to vent. I know this person will be dead before she hits 50. Her daughter will be another obese person with same issues. SAD CYCLE.

#3 MissT on 2017-11-13 16:40 (Reply)

I am convinced some people enjoy being obese and sick. It's their identity and gets them attention from others. I work with a grossly obese person who has told everyone he is in the process of dying for the past 10 years or more. He now can barely walk, has to stop every 10 feet, but still has the ability to scarf down unlimited bacon double cheeseburgers, cokes and fries and other unhealthy foods all the time. I stopped listening to his woes about 8 years ago. I'm sure he is long past the point of recovery and will pop off one of these days, but he's in a situation of his own creation. Sad because he's very intelligent, but the self-destructive behavior is his identity.

#3.1 Jim on 2017-11-13 17:28 (Reply)

You will be denied care if you're obese because it's your fault. But come in with AIDS, where most of the cases are from unprotected anal sex or through intravenous drug use, and they will fall all over each other and spend an unlimited amount of money on your care, because that wasn't your fault.

#4 DCJuggler on 2017-11-13 17:31 (Reply)

Some diseases are Sacred Diseases, and some are not.

#4.1 the nj on 2017-11-13 18:39 (Reply)

On that note I do not understand why the military pays for sex change. Regardless on your view of the wisdom or logic in such a choice it would seem to me that the individual should pay for it and not the taxpayer.

#4.1.1 GoneWithTheWind on 2017-11-14 09:40 (Reply)

I had a dislocated knee about 8 years ago. I got run over by a car. Also had a broken pelvis and one day when I was in the hospital, in a wheelchair, seeing the orthopedist another doctor was checking me out and said "how did YOU dislocate your knee" His tone of voice suggested it was entirely impossible for a youngish thin woman to do that. It made sense to him when I told him it took a 2-ton car.. He did tell me that extremely overweight women could dislocate their knee by just stepping off the curb

#5 Whitney on 2017-11-14 15:29 (Reply)

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Monday, November 13. 2017

Being overweight, and your precious knees