Obesity does not limit benefits of knee replacement, study shows

Clinically obese people can benefit almost as much as anyone else from knee replacement surgery, research has shown (Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases 2008; doi 10.1136/ard.2008.093229).

The findings show that there is little justification for policies that deny this type of surgery to obese patients on the grounds of their body mass index (BMI). The researchers report that long term improvements in physical functioning in patients who had undergone knee replacement surgery extended to patients who were clinically obese, with a BMI greater than 30.