Osteoarthritis is an extraordinarily prevalent and disabling disease. The prevalence appears to be increasing, in large part compounded by the ageing of the population but also with major contributions from demographic shifts as it relates to obesity are leading to increasing numbers of people with osteoarthritis. The two biggest risk factors for knee osteoarthritis are obesity and overweight and joint injury. They account for approximately 75% of a person’s likelihood of developing osteoarthritis of the knee. Both are eminently modifiable but from a public health perspective, we do very little if anything about modifying either.

On this episode we discuss: risk factors for developing osteoarthritis, how much weight to lose to reduce their risk of developing osteoarthritis, the effects of weight loss on osteoarthritis and much more.

Dr Jos Runhaar is an Assistant Professor at the Department of General Practice of Erasmus MC. Netherlands

He was trained as Human Movement Scientist at the Vrije University Amsterdam. For his PhD, he performed the first ever trial on the primary prevention of osteoarthritis, supervised by Prof. Bierma-Zeinstra and Prof. Koes. The research direction of Dr. Runhaar aims to improve the diagnosis and treatment of musculoskeletal disorders by general practitioners and physiotherapists and to shift the treatment of musculoskeletal disorders to the early disease phase.

RESOURCES

Journal articles

• What if we prevent obesity? Risk reduction in knee osteoarthritis estimated through a meta-analysis of observational studies
• Current evidence on risk factors for knee osteoarthritis in older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis
• To what extent is severe osteoarthritis preventable? Occupational and non-occupational risk factors for knee and hip osteoarthritis
• Prevention of Incident Knee Osteoarthritis by Moderate Weight Loss in Overweight and Obese Females
• Long-term effects of a randomized, controlled, tailor-made weight-loss intervention in primary care on the health and lifestyle of overweight and obese women
• Predicting Knee Pain and Knee Osteoarthritis Among Overweight Women

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