Evaluating the role of weight loss in symptomatic knee osteoarthritis: An audit of Osteoarthritis Healthy Weight For Life's database.

Background and objectives: Obesity contributes to the onset and progression of osteoarthritis. This study assesses the influence of baseline body mass index (BMI) and baseline knee pain on improvements observed in patients undertaking a community-based weight loss program for knee osteoarthritis.

Method: This study is a retrospective analysis of data from 9004 patients who took part in the Osteoarthritis Healthy Weight For Life program between January 2014 and July 2022.

Results: The greater the weight loss achieved, the greater the improvement in knee pain and function, with baseline weight having no effect on the magnitude of the outcome. All patients with a starting Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score of <75 experienced significant improvement in their symptoms. Patients with more severe starting pain saw greater improvements.

Discussion: Baseline BMI has no effect on the amount of weight loss required to produce a meaningful improvement in osteoarthritis symptoms. Patients with more severe baseline knee pain see more improvement than those with milder symptoms for the same weight loss.