By Everything Lifestyle Staff

Bariatric Surgery

Can Weight Loss Surgery Provide Long-Term Pain Relief?

Feb 17, 2025 | 8:28 AM

Less pain and better mobility may be a worthwhile benefit of having bariatric surgery.

There are many health benefits of weight loss surgery if you are obese. People who lose a substantial amount of their body weight may improve their blood sugar levels, lowering the risk of complications from diabetes or even reversing the disease. Significant weight loss may also reduce blood pressure, cholesterol and the associated risk of heart disease. In addition, it may lower the risk of cancer and other serious diseases. But one benefit you may not give much thought to when considering bariatric surgery is enjoying a long-term reduction in pain.

Losing weight after bariatric surgery has long been shown to reduce the amount of chronic pain felt by people during the first year or two after surgery, when weight loss is most significant and health improvements are the greatest. But up until recently, it has been less clear how long patients are able to sustain those improvements in pain reduction.

That is until one recent study followed nearly 1,500 people who had bariatric surgery for 7 years to get a better understanding of whether patients can sustain pain reduction over time. The results indicated that bariatric patients may experience a long-term reduction in bodily and joint-specific pain, as well as a long-term improvement in physical function (what tasks they can perform, how mobile they are, etc.).

Although not every participant in the study experienced improvements in pain and physical function, the study found that 65% to 72% of participants who initially reported symptoms of osteoarthritis in their knees or hips felt less pain. Additionally, 41% to 64% reported improvements in body pain and physical function.

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Osteoarthritis, a progressive disease resulting from wear and tear of the joints, can be experienced by anyone of any weight. But people who are overweight or obese are at a greater risk of experiencing chronic joint pain or eventually needing joint replacement. That’s because every extra pound of weight a person carries on their body puts 4 pounds of added pressure on the knees and 6 pounds of pressure on the hips. Carrying extra weight can cause an increase in cartilage loss in the joints and a subsequent increase in pain. Obese people are also 3 – 4 times more likely to need knee or hip replacements compared to people of normal weight.

By losing weight, less pressure is put on the joints, resulting in improved symptoms. Even if a person needs joint replacement surgery, weight loss is often recommended by doctors to experience the best surgical outcome. Just as with the body’s natural joints, excess weight puts added stress on the implant. The more the replacement joint is stressed, the shorter its lifespan may be. Losing weight may also lower the chance of complications during and after surgery.

If you experience chronic pain or reduced mobility from osteoarthritis or other conditions, talk to your doctor about the potential for weight loss surgery to help reduce your pain. Living a more pain-free life allows you to do more of the things you enjoy and may improve your quality of life.

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_{Medical Review: Perry Pitkow, MD}