New study in New England Journal of Medicine shows how weekly injections with Semaglutide (weight loss medication like Ozempic) helped overweight people with arthritis and knee pain get relief.
Does excess weight cause arthritis or knee pain?
Yes, obesity or being overweight is very common and so is knee pain and arthritis (joint inflammation). In fact, 1 in 3 people suffer from arthritis, and being overweight is thought to double your lifetime risk. This causes mechanical stress on the joints, and studies now suggest that adipose or fat cells may contribute to pain by releasing special substances called adipokines that can make joints feel extra swollen and painful.
How does Semaglutide make knee pain better?
Semaglutide or weight loss injectables (glucagon like peptide) used once weekly in the STEP 9 trial for 68 weeks in 400 patients showed a significant improvement in knee pain in people with obesity and knee arthritis compared to people that used diet and exercise alone to lose weight.
The average person who took Semaglutide loss enough weight to improve knee pain significantly and reported feeling up to 50 % better than those treated with diet and exercise alone. And, in fact many were able to stop or reduce the amount of over-the-counter pain medications like Tylenol or Acetaminophen or non-steroidal anti-inflammatories like Ibuprofen.
Can knee pain or arthritis get better by weight loss or only with Semaglutide?
The answer may be both. Weight loss alone does improve joint pain and based on the study the more weight loss the better. The group of people who got Semaglutide had on average 14 % weight loss compared to only 3 % weight loss in the group treated with diet and exercise alone and those with more weight loss had more pain relief.
There are also reports that suggest Semaglutide may help with pain independent or regardless of weight loss by improving body inflammation making joints feel better.
How do I know if Semaglutide is right for me to treat knee pain?
Always best to ask your doctor if Semaglutide is right for you to treat knee pain and arthritis. It is approved for people who are obese as defined by a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or more or in people who are overweight with diabetes, heart disease, or high blood pressure.
If you are experiencing joint pain and do not qualify for the medication it is important to eat healthy and exercise regularly and to consider other treatments for arthritis as may be very beneficial. You can read my article on saunas as the health benefits are limitless including improving pain with arthritis along with my article on weight loss injections, are they right for you.
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