For appropriately selected patients, weight loss drugs such as semaglutide do appear to be able to help them lose weight. And that could be good news for osteoarthritis sufferers. YKC’s Nick London explains why.

You’ve probably heard about Ozempic and Wegovy. They are the brand names of the drug semaglutide, which has gained headlines for its results in treating diabetes (Ozempic) and supporting weight loss (Wegovy). Last year, however, we saw research which showed semaglutide’s impact on osteoarthritis.

Published in the New England Journal of Medicine, the study found that: “Among participants with obesity and knee osteoarthritis with moderate-to-severe pain, treatment with once-weekly injectable semaglutide resulted in significantly greater reductions in body weight and pain related to knee osteoarthritis than placebo.”

In many ways, this isn’t surprising. We’ve known for years that the results of knee surgery, and especially resurfacing/replacement surgery, are optimised when patient weight is also optimised (i.e. patients with a high body mass index (BMI) have a higher rate of revision surgery). For decades, we’ve advised patients that anything that reduces the load on their arthritic joints, whether that’s losing weight, reducing impact, or modifying activities, will help with their pain.

It may alleviate pain to such an extent that surgery is delayed or even avoided altogether. And if surgery does become necessary, a lower body weight means a slightly reduced risk of complications relative to significantly overweight patients.

> What Is Osteoarthritis & How Do You Treat It?

Breaking the weight gain cycle

All the above is part of the standard conservative management of osteoarthritis that we would recommend for anybody ahead of surgery. What’s different about the new generation of weight loss drugs is that they break the vicious cycle in which so many patients find themselves.

When you’re in pain, there’s a greater likelihood that you will be relatively immobile, and less likely to exercise. That means it’s typically far easier for osteoarthritis sufferers to gain weight than lose it. And as weight increases, so the chances of doing the things that can help reduce weight recede further.

For appropriately selected patients, semaglutide does appear to be able to help them lose weight. There’s also evidence to suggest that it can reduce inflammation, which can further reduce pain. This is encouraging, because it means conservative management, combined with weight loss drugs if necessary, may be all some patients need to manage pain and avoid knee surgery.

Some weight loss drugs are available on the NHS in certain circumstances and you can source Wegovy privately. This Gov.uk page explains more. As with all medication, you should seek medical advice before taking any weight loss drug.

In the meantime, if you are concerned about knee pain and want to explore your treatment options, contact us or phone us on 03453 052 579.

> Discover more about Nick London
> What Is Osteoarthritis & How Do You Treat It?
> Discover more about osteoarthritis, YKC & you