Need to vent....

As an RN working in orthopedics, I am constantly amazed at the number of morbidly obese people coming to the office complaining of knee pain, ankle pain, lower back pain and hip pain!!!!...and they have no idea why!! OMG, I feel like telling these people to try losing 100 pounds and they may feel the improvement. When someone 5'1'' weighs 280 pounds or more, don't you think they would have an idea they may be slightly overweight and stressing their joints??????????????????? STUPID people!!!!!!!!!! Disgusting too!!!!

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DrWatson · 70-79, M

I don't understand why you or a doctor [i]can't[/i] talk to the patient about weight. It is a relevant thing to bring up, given what is ailing them. And losing weight is certainly a valid treatment.

Maybe you can do some calculations in advance: what is the cross sectional area of a vertebra in the lower back? How many pounds of weight are in the upper body? Divide, and get the pressure in pounds per square inch on that vertebra! Or take the cross sectional area of the two ankles and divide by the person's total weight to get the pressure on the ankles.

Maybe reporting those numbers to the patient will make a light go on.

PoetryNEmotion · F

@DrWatson Eople will not listen. Lifestyles are hard to change. The quick fix is the surgery. I could tell you stories from ortho. Unbelievable.