Obesity & Arthritis
Obesity and High Blood Pressure:
What’s the Connection?
Excess weight doesn’t just affect how you feel — it affects how you move.
Carrying too much weight puts added pressure on your joints, especially the knees, hips, and lower back. Over time, this constant strain can wear down the cartilage, leading to osteoarthritis, the most common form of arthritis.
Obesity also promotes inflammation throughout the body, which may worsen joint damage and pain, even in smaller joints like the hands.
If you already have arthritis, excess weight can make your symptoms worse — limiting mobility, reducing physical activity, and creating a vicious cycle of pain and weight gain.
Even modest weight loss can:
Medical Evidence
Self-Care for Arthritis: Five Ways to Manage Your Symptoms
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
https://www.cdc.gov/arthritis/caring/
