[Obesity and articular tropho-mechanic disorders].

Obesity represents an accelerating factor in the development of osteoarthritis, mainly of the lumbar spine and knees. Overweight patients undergo, earlier than normal people, to painful syndromes which usually affect the elder. The mechansims through which joint degeneration gradually develops are analized; special reference is made to the rôle of mechanical and postural stresses. Some considerations are made about orthopaedic treatment in obesity and about orthopaedic surgery in selected cases.