Published on November 15, 2023
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The joints of the body that hold us up when we stand and carry the mass of our body are called “weight bearing joints,” and the knees are one of the primary joints (ankles and hips being the others; feet, pelvis, low back and spine are the secondaries).
Obesity raises the risk of developing osteoarthritis in 𝑎𝑙𝑙 weight-bearing joints, but especially the knees.
This is because the “simple” act of walking across level ground puts up to 1 1/2 times your body weight on your knees: a 200-lb. man will deliver 300 lbs. of pressure to each knee with each step.
Off level ground, each knee bears 2 to 3 times your body weight when you go up and down stairs; 4 to 5 times your body weight when you squat to tie a shoelace or to pick up an item you dropped.
Each pound you lose reduces knee pressure in every step you take.
