How Weight Increases the Risk of Osteoarthritis

The factors that may lead to the development of osteoarthritis are many, health experts say, and one of them is weight. It is imperative to maintain an ideal body weight because the weight of a person increases the rises of having osteoarthritis, according to the University of Washington Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine. Those who are obese may experience more health problems compared to individuals who have a normal body mass index. People with such conditions may also avoid physical activities because the weight of their body gets in the way, which causes the joint problem to worsen.


As early as 40 years old, men and women may already develop symptoms but it is more prominent and common among elderly men and women. The knee and hip joints are the weight bearing joints support the whole weight of the body. Using the joints for certain activities may be more painful as the extra weight adds more pressure to the joints. High impact activities are not advisable because the stress applied to the hip joints is doubled. The added weight may not only contribute to the development of the disease but also its progression. The protective layer covering the joints is lost because of the constant pressure applied to the joint.


Walking, standing or twisting often makes the pain worse. The joint may stiffen and be deformed if it is left untreated. As the joint stiffens, the individual may feel more pain and may have more problems with mobility. Hence, health care providers advise patients to lose weight if they are still able to before the disease progresses to a more serious problem as the pain and stiffness might prevent the individual from exercising.


Osteoarthritis remains to be incurable but there are several treatments that might help delay the progression of the disease. People who have a family history of arthritis are at risk of developing the same problem, hence they are often advised to take care of their joints. Maintaining a proper body weight and avoiding trauma to the joints helps decrease the chances of having osteoarthritis. A hip replacement operation may be taken by a patient if the symptoms are not abated by regular treatments. They may visit the DePuy Hip Recall News Center for more information.



URL References:
orthop.washington.edu/?q=patient-care/articles/hip/osteoarthritis-of-the-hip-hip-arthritis.html
dukehealth.org/orthopaedics/services/hip-treatments/care-guides/hip-arthritis
arthritisvic.org.au/Conditions-and-Symptoms/Osteoarthritis-of-the-Hip-and-Knee
niams.nih.gov/health_Info/Bone/Bone_Health/Exercise/default.asp

DePuy ASR Recall Lawsuit Update: Rottenstein Law Group Responds to ASR Hip Implant Designer Who Testified He Would No Longer Implant His Patients with the Device

Chicago, IL (PRWEB) April 04, 2013

A key DePuy ASR metal-on-metal hip implant designer testified on April 2 in an Illinois court that even though he believed the design process was thorough, he would not implant the device today.* The Rottenstein Law Group, a DePuy ASR law firm, responds to court documents that show Dr. Thomas P. Schmalzried, who was on the design team for the now-recalled ASR, was also on the design team for DePuy’s Pinnacle, a hip implant often used during revision surgery to replace the ASR. The Rottenstein Law Group maintains the DePuy Recall News Center, which provides news and information on hip lawsuits and the DePuy hip joint recall.

Schmalzried was a defense witness for Johnson & Johnson subsidiary DePuy Orthopaedics, against which Carol Strum of Illinois filed suit (In Re DePuy ASR Hip Litigation, No. 10-L-10506, Cook County Circuit Court), alleging that she suffered from pain and disability as a result of receiving an ASR metal-on-metal hip replacement, according to Law 360.**

Read full story at PRWeb.com: DePuy ASR Recall Lawsuit Update: Rottenstein Law Group Responds to ASR Hip Implant Designer Who Testified He Would No Longer Implant His Patients with the Device

DePuy Faces Second Trial Over Alleged Defective Hip Implants In Chicago

DePuy Orthopaedics, a unit of Johnson and Johnson, has began fielding strong defense lawyers as the second trial over their alleged “defective” DePuy ASR hip system has already started hearing opening statements in the Chicago, Illinois courts.

After losing $8.3 million on March 8  with  the Los Angeles court jury decision over   the  ASR XL design, one of the two hip implants that was recalled in 2010, the jurors from Chicago heard opening statements in March 11 by Carol Strum’s lawyers. Fifty-four-year-old Strum, a nurse in Illinois, claims DePuy’s ASR hip was defective and the company failed to warn of risks. The case is considered as the second of 10,750 lawsuits against J&J, the world’s largest seller of health-care products, to go in court.

On March 8,  the first verdict against DePuy was announced in the California courts and awarded Montana retired prison guard Loren “Bill” Kransky compensatory damages of $8.3 million after suffering  from several symptoms of the faulty hip implant. Despite his age at 65, he took the risk of undergoing the revision which was considered by surgeons as the most difficult and painful way of surgery.

Read more about it at:

Second DePuy ASR Hip Implant Trial Now Underway in IllinoisState Court

Patients Poisoned and Seriously Disabled With DePuy Hip Implants

Because of the medical scandal that left several patients poisoned and seriously disabled, there may be changes soon in the way medical devices are approved for use in Australia, medical experts say. In the United States, the faulty articular surface replacement (ASR) hip made and marketed by DePuy Orthopaedics, a subsidiary of the Johnson & Johnson healthcare empire, had been recalled in 2010 due to several complaints of being defective and against which patients were seekingcompensation for the faulty medical products they had received.

DePuy issued worldwide recall and voluntarily withdrew it from Australia in 2009, but not before 93,000 patients worldwide, 5,500 of them Australians, had been implanted with the faulty hip and were among the 8,000 patients who filed a lawsuit against DePuy wherein several question been if there has been any out of court settlement for the asr hip.

Those people who usually undergo hip replacement are those who cannot bear anymore the hip pain caused by osteoarthritis.

Osteoarthritis is an age-related “wear and tear” type of arthritis. Like other chronic conditions, it has no single, specific cause. Instead, there are several factors involved in the disease, including heredity and lifestyle. It usually occurs in people 50 years of age and older and often in individuals with a family history of arthritis.

A person suffering from osteoarthritis may vary, depending on which joint are affected and how seriously they are afflicted. The most common indications are experiencing stiffness, particularly, first thing in the morning or after resting, and pain. The most commonly affected joints are the lower back, feet and knees. When those joints are affected, the person may have difficulty in doing simple tasks such as walking, climbing stairs and lifting objects.

There are calls for an inquiry into the regulation of Australia's $4 billion medical devices industry following the recall of the faulty hip that left hundreds of Australians in unbearable pain. An increasing number of patients who had the hip implanted are having to undergo painful and complex revision surgery to remove the faulty hip.

Many, in addition, have experienced severe illness away from the hip, which some doctors and medical researchers attribute to metal poisoning from the joint.

Hundreds of Australians who had the faulty hip implanted are now joining class actions against DePuy Orthopaedics and Johnson & Johnson. For more information, check  The DePuy Hip Recall Center.

URL REFERENCES:

abc.net.au/news/2011-05-16/patients-reveal-agony-of-toxic-hip-implants/2694656

arthritistoday.org/conditions/osteoarthritis/all-about-oa/what-is-oa.php