For many, obesity and the physical impact of being overweight is what ends up driving many people to consider joint replacement surgery as an option when conservative care fails to yield the desired results. However, that same factor that drove them to consider joint replacement surgery in the first place is oftentimes a barrier to the specific type of help they are seeking. For example, many obese patients may be told that a doctor will not perform their knee or hip replacement procedure unless they get their body mass index (BMI) under a specific target score.
Body weight places more direct stress on your knees and hips, but is obesity a deterrent for patients seeking shoulder replacement? According to new research, not only is obesity not a deterring factor when it comes to shoulder replacement, these patients may be more likely to experience positive outcomes than patients with lower BMI scores. We dive into those study results in today’s blog.
Obesity And Shoulder Replacement
It’s not uncommon for patients with high BMIs to be turned away for specific elective procedures out of concerns about their ability to recover from the procedure. However, it’s also clear that many procedures can greatly improve a person’s health and physical capabilities, effectively becoming a springboard for their ability to lose weight or become a healthier version of themselves, so it’s important to weigh the potential benefits against any perceived drawbacks.
To understand if obese patients faced increased health risks as a result of shoulder replacement surgery, researchers tracked nearly 21,000 patients in the United Kingdom and Denmark who underwent shoulder replacement surgery. When breaking down the data by patient weight and BMI, researchers uncovered some surprising findings.
- Obese patients had a 60 percent lower risk of death within one year of surgery than those with a healthy weight.
- Underweight people (BMI < 18.5) had a 69% increased risk of death within 90 days of surgery, as well as a 36% higher risk of serious complications and 70% higher odds of needing follow up surgery.
Researchers stopped short of explaining exactly why obese patients didn’t face additional risks, especially compared to underweight individuals, but they did note that a shoulder replacement procedure has the potential to greatly improve a patient’s quality of life and function, and that dysfunction may be a main driver of a patient’s weight gain or obesity. By correcting the shoulder issue, surgery may help to unlock the potential to greatly improve a patient’s overall health.
“Shoulder replacements offer patients the opportunity for excellent pain relief and improved quality of life,” said lead researcher Dr. Epaminondas Markos, a research fellow with the University of Oxford. “Our research shows that patients with a higher BMI do not have poorer outcomes after shoulder replacement surgery.”
Regardless of your weight, if you feel like shoulder discomfort is holding you back and negatively affecting your quality of life, it’s time to talk with a shoulder specialist and learn about all your care options. The biggest barrier to treatment is simply taking the time to schedule an appointment and develop a care plan with the help of a shoulder specialist. Let us be that resource for you.
For more information about shoulder replacement or more conservative shoulder treatment options, pick up the phone and connect with Dr. Holloway and his team today at (865) 410-7887.
