Massage therapy effects pain relief and flexibility in clients who present with osteoarthritis. A new study shows that client obesity greatly contributes to the problems related to knee osteoarthritis.

More than 14 million visits were made to physicians’ offices in 2008 by patients with knee problems. Five new studies presented at the 2011 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) look at the effect that obesity has on knee arthritis and a patient’s ability to recover from knee surgery.

One new study found that while weight loss via bariatric surgery may improve knee pain in obese patients with knee osteoarthritis, there may be permanent damage to the knee from being morbidly obese, according to an AAOS press release.

On Feb. 15 MASSAGE Magazine reported on new research that indicated the risk of knee osteoarthritis could be as great as that from heart disease

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