09
January
2018
|
07:00 AM
America/New_York

Obesity linked with disability after joint surgery

A new study claims that people who are obese and undergo joint replacement surgery are more likely to become dependent, Reuters reported.

According to the article, researchers studied more than 2,000 adults who had joint surgery and found that obese patients had a 35 percent higher risk of dependence after surgery.

HSS hip & knee surgeon Michael L. Parks, MD, who did not participate in the study, said it is important to note that improvement was seen for most obese and non-obese participants.

"So, the point is, joint surgery is still helpful whether patients are obese or not, but it shows that we need to do something for them more than just replace their joint," said Dr. Parks.

"One of the things that we do here at HSS, and that I hope is becoming more prevalent nationally, is we work collaboratively with our medical colleagues to try to address obesity," he added.

Furthermore, Dr. Parks advised that patients should "become involved in health and do something to lose weight to make yourself a better candidate because that has implications on your surgical outcome, your risk, and this study shows that it has a long-term outcome on your dependence and your ability to be independent and your mobility".

Read the full article at reuters.com.