• Peter F M Choong and Michelle M Dowsey.
• Department of Orthopaedics Surgery, University of Melbourne, St Vincent's Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. pchoong@unimelb.edu.au
• Int J Rheum Dis. 2011 May 1;14(2):167-74.

AbstractOsteoarthritis is a leading cause of disability with incidence and prevalence rising in most nations. Management to address the degenerative joint is stratified according to degree of severity of involvement and always begins with non-surgical modalities before progressing through a range of surgeries, including arthroscopy, osteotomy, unicompartmental and total knee replacement. Predictability of results depends on the type of procedure with total joint replacement giving the most sustainable relief from symptoms, improvement of function and longevity of construct. Obesity is a health priority in developed countries where it is overrepresented in patients presenting for joint replacement. Complications, poor patient satisfaction and joint function can be directly attributable to obesity. Efforts to address obesity should be considered as part of the approach to managing osteoarthritis.© 2011 The Authors. International Journal of Rheumatic Diseases © 2011 Asia Pacific League of Associations for Rheumatology and Blackwell Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.

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