Lap band surgery for extreme obesity also reduces knee pain as patients lose weight, doctors say
The younger patients have the surgery and the more weight they lose, the more they will reduce arthritic knee pain, US researchers say. Also in health news: stem cell treatment counters age-related eye condition, restoring some sight
Extremely obese people who have a band surgically strapped around their stomachs to restrict food intake not only lose weight but also suffer less from arthritic knee pain, a new report has found.
The extra weight they bear causes deterioration and inflammation in the knee joints, say the study leaders at New York University School of Medicine. The pain relief seen with lap-band surgery applied to all patients with osteoarthritic knees, but was most helpful in the youngest men and women who lost the most weight.
“Our study shows that extremely obese people seeking relief from their knee pain should consider lap-band surgery earlier because the benefits from it being successful – although significant for all ages – decrease with age,” says study senior investigator and rheumatologist Jonathan Samuels.
He adds it is likely that knee joints and cartilage become so damaged after a certain point that there is little cushion left for weight loss to preserve. The research team found that people in their 40s reported nearly twice as much pain relief after lap-band as those who had the surgery in their 50s.
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More than 130,000 Americans have had the procedure done since 2011, national statistics show. Although the operation is considered relatively safe, complications may include nausea, stomach ulcers, and infection.
