Obesity and Lower Extremity Osteoarthritis

Obesity and osteoarthritis are complex diseases to which multiple interacting factors contribute. The moderate association between obesity and knee joint osteoarthritis reflects the amplification by obesity of role of joint loading in the development and progression of osteoarthritis. However, joint loading is insufficient to explain the disparities between the incidence of knee OA in obese people and the incidence of ankle and hip OA. One of the crucial contributing factors to this disparity is the influence of lower extremity alignment on knee joint biomechanics. Although the bulk of the literature indicates that knee osteoarthritis is a predictable result of obesity, there are simple, accessible, cost effective, and functionally effective interventions that can improve quality of life.