Osteoarthritis Another Health Detriment Of Obesity

by Physical Therapy SOAP Notes

In addition to coronary artery disease, type 2 diabetes, and hypertension, being overweight is also a risk factor for osteoarthritis (OA), resulting in painful and restricted movement, according to new research.

Stephen P. Messier, PhD, FACSM, presented a lecture on The Burden of Obesity: A Biomechanical Perspective at the 55th Annual Meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine. Messier has been involved in research on understanding and treating OA for more than 25 years. His current work looks at the biomechanics of obesity among adults aged 55 and older.

He says extra weight also puts added stress on joints, impacts movement, affects gait (how a person walks), increases foot pressure, and decreases strength.
Messier notes that people who are overweight or obese have a higher risk of OA and the progression of the disease is greater. Every excess pound of body weight puts an additional 4-pound stress on the knee, he explains, adding, "A weight gain of about 11 pounds over a 10-year period causes a 50% increase in the likelihood of developing OA."
Messier points out that OA is the leading cause of disability among older adults. It affects about 27 million older adults in the United States.

In looking at the biomechanics of walking, Messier comments that being overweight can change an individual's gait, thus causing or exacerbating joint pain. In addition, obesity creates more pressure on the feet. This pressure can contribute to plantar fasciitis, a painful inflammatory condition caused by excessive wear to the connective tissue that supports the arch of the foot.
Obese individuals—those with a body mass index (BMI) greater than 30—are five to six times more likely to have plantar fasciitis than individuals with a normal BMI (18.5 to 25).
In addition to joint and foot pain, obesity lessens a person's physical strength, which can impact activities of daily living.

But there is good news. In his work, Messier found that weight loss and exercise can improve function and reduce the pain from OA. His research shows that a five percent drop in body weight, combined with a moderate exercise program, results in a 24-percent increase in function, and a 30-percent decrease in pain over an 18-month period. For a 250-pound individual, this translates to a weight loss of 12.5 pounds with moderate physical activity, such as walking 30 minutes a day, five days a week.

Regular Exercise Can Help Delay Aging

by Physical Therapy SOAP Notes

A recent study showing that maintaining aerobic fitness through middle age could delay biological aging by 12 years underscores the benefits of incorporating even a modest exercise program into one's daily routine, according to the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA).

The study, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine (March 11, 2008), shows aerobic exercise improves the body's oxygen consumption and its ability to generate energy, which, in turn, leads to the slowing and possible reversal of the inevitable decline of our body's function.

"If we, as a population, walked briskly 30 minutes a day, healthcare as we know it would change drastically in the United States," said Steven Tepper, PT, PhD, a professor of physical therapy at, among others, the University of Maryland and the University of Delaware.

"This study is particularly relevant because it shows a direct correlation between regular exercise and longer life expectancy," Tepper says, who has long studied the effects of 30 minutes of daily brisk walking or equivalent activity.

The British Journal of Sports Medicine study concluded that a regular exercise program can slow or reverse the loss of aerobic fitness—typical of behavior observed in middle-aged and retirement aged people—reducing the individual's biological age and prolonging independence.

MRSA - Superbug

A new antibiotic- resistant form of the bacteria has been identified
in rising numbers of young and healthy people in the United States, marking the emergence of a new public health threat.

Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus, also known as community-acquired MRSA. It is an easily transmissible and can lead to serious skin infections. MRSA has been an ongoing and serious problem in many health related settings around the world for more than 30 years. MRSA is resistant to methicillin and other antibiotics typically used to treat common staph infections and is usually found in people who were recently hospitalized or spent time in a health care setting.

MRSA can cause a skin infection with redness and swelling, possibly resulting in boils, blisters or abscesses. An infection can be treated with alternative antibiotics or by draining the skin wound. While most community-acquired MRSA infections are mild, severe invasive conditions such as pneumonia and necrotizing fasciitis have resulted.

MRSA infections occur in otherwise healthy people who have not been recently (within the past year) hospitalized or had a medical procedure (such as dialysis, surgery, catheters) are known as community-associated (CA)-MRSA infections. According to the CDC, 25 to 30% of the population carry the staph bacteria.

If you feel you have MRSA:

1. Evaluate skin lesion for underlying abscess formation, crepitus, fluctuance and sinus drainage.

2. Prevention Strategies : clean any fresh wounds (e.g. lacerations and abrasions) thoroughly.

3. To reduce person-to-person spread, educate MRSA-infected or colonized patients regarding good hand hygiene.

4. Reduce as much as possible use of shared objects, such as athletic equipment, towels, and personal items such as razors; and wash towels and sheets frequently in hot water.

5. Encourage employees to wash hands frequently, and clean and protect any open wounds to avoid transmission.

For more information please see MRSA links in the health and wellness section on this page. MRSA is a serious infection, please take it seriously.