Maintaining a healthy weight is one way to ward off the effects of arthritis.
Wayne Leadbetter, M.D., of the Center for Joint Preservation and Replacement and the Rubin Institute for Advanced Orthopedics at Sinai Hospital, said on last week's Ask the Expert Radio that the rising obesity among Americans is one factor in the increasing rates of arthritis.
"If you look at arthritis in the lower extremities, such as the knees, hips and ankles, it escalates at an astounding rate when you are at less than a proper weight," he said. "When you have tremendous loads and stresses on the cartilage, the cells can't keep up with the rebuilding of the cartilage, and that's where the trouble starts."
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, maintaining a healthy weight may decrease disease progression. A loss of just 11 pounds can decrease the occurrence of new knee osteoarthritis.
Every Sunday morning on WJZ (105.7 FM), you can call in to ask questions of experts from Sinai Hospital, Northwest Hospital, Levindale Hebrew Geriatric Center and Hospital, Courtland Gardens and LifeBridge Health & Fitness as they join host Rudy Miller. If you want to ask the expert, call 410-481-1057 between 8 and 9 a.m. or you can e-mail your questions to asktheexpert@whfs.com. This week's guest is Kevin Crutchfield, M.D., of the Sandra and Malcom Berman Brain & Spine Institute.
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