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Obesity, Weight Loss, and Joint Replacement Surgery
By: Scottsdale Weight Loss Center
Published: November 6, 2021
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Patients with obesity are frequently advised to lose weight prior to total knee or total hip replacement. The reasons for this recommendation are numerous:
- Patients with obesity (BMI >30) are 1.7 times more likely to have complications after total joint replacement compared to patients with a BMI <30.
- Patients with a BMI >35 are 2.2 times more likely to have complications.
- Patients with a BMI >40 are 3.7 times more likely, and those with a BMI >50 are 21 times more likely to suffer complications.
Pre-surgery
Obesity is associated with many known risk factors for any surgical procedure. These include:
- Cardiovascular disease, including hypertension
- Type 2 diabetes
- Obstructive sleep apnea
- Metabolic syndrome
- Adiposopathic (sick fat disease) chronic inflammation
- Polypharmacy
Surgery
Obesity can also cause complications during surgery.
Challenges for the anesthesiologist may include:
- Locating proper venous access to administer general anesthesia and medications
- Alterations in body shape and anatomy that interfere with adequate oxygenation and airflow
- Proper needle positioning for delivering regional anesthesia (e.g. spinal and epidural nerve blocks
Obesity may also cause increased operative times due to technical challenges. The longer a surgery, the greater risk of complications. Obesity also increases the risk of nerve injuries and blood loss.
Post-surgery
Obesity can also increase complications after surgery:
- Infection and sepsis- studies have shown that patients with obesity have double the rate of infection following total knee arthroplasty
- Poor wound healing
- Deep vein thrombosis
- Pulmonary embolism
- Dyspnea and hypoventilation
- Prosthetic component loosening and failure due to biomechanical stress
- Dislocation of the joint replacement (especially the hip)
- Decreased joint mobility and range of motion compared to patients with healthy weight
- Difficulty participating in active rehabilitation due to an altered center of gravity and impaired balance
- Challenges with postoperative pain management
Our expertise is helping patients lose weight quickly so they are in optimal health prior to joint replacement. For additional expert information on obesity, please visit us at https://www.scottsdaleweightloss.com
Nick
Nick's Story
"I wish I would have come here first. We spend all our time reacting to the next great weight loss tip or program. It might work for a while, but does not last and we end up yo-yoing from one fad to the next – as we gain more weight." Read More
Gina
Lost 44.5 lbs
"I had no trouble adhering to the meals and they really helped catapult my progress! The classes were so beneficial to me because they helped change my thinking about how I viewed health, nutrition, and fitness.
I will always have my relationship with Scottsdale Weight Loss Center. They truly helped me change my life forever." Read More
Lauren
Lost 60 lbs
"Dr. Ziltzer and everyone who I have come in contact with at the Scottsdale Weight Loss office have been so encouraging and I look forward to seeing them each week. It is now a year and 2 months later since I started. I am down 60 lbs., which is the average amount a 9-year-old weighs, it is crazy to think I lost a whole person! I feel amazing, I hit my goal weight in November 2021 just before Thanksgiving. Nothing on my body hurts anymore..." Read More
Chuck
Lost 66 lbs
"The best thing I did was call the Scottsdale Weight Loss Center. I have a lot more energy, I'm not hungry, and it feels great.
You can take it from me that this is a program that produces results. The staff is always positive, supportive, and never judgmental.
Your visits always result in positive reinforcement, no matter if you had a good week or a bad week." Read More
Emily
Lost 101 lbs
"Here I am at the lowest I have been since high school weighing in at 155lbs. I have lost 101 lbs, BMI of 39 when I started, to 21.6, and of course at body fat % of 47.1 to 26.5%. I told myself by my 30th birthday I wanted to be confident in the way I look and I owe it all to SWLC. The entire staff is so welcoming and they are rooting for you just as much as you are rooting for yourself...." Read More
Reviews
Meet Our Team
Robert Ziltzer, MD, FACP, FAAP, FOMA
Obesity Medicine Certified Physician
Diana Bone, FNP-C
Specializing in Obesity Medicine
Craig Primack, MD, FACP, FAAP, MFOMA
Obesity Medicine Certified Physician
Kristen Ash, FNP-C, FNP-BC
Nurse Practitioner
Alicia Earley, FNP-C
Family Nurse Practitioner
