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your doctor would likely recommend less-drastic measures first. All surgery
has risks, and as you learned in chapter 4, people suffering from obesity have
a more difficult time recovering after surgery and are also more likely to die
from surgery-related complications. Weight loss (to a healthy BMI) at the
onset of symptoms, or even before, is perhaps the safest and most effective
treatment for early osteoarthritis.
So, if Cindy shed that extra thirty pounds, her knees would feel much bet-
ter. Then she’d be able to restore her active lifestyle, which would, in turn,
help her maintain a healthy BMI. Exercise and a healthy diet might also
increase her energy level. But lack of physical activity isn’t the only thing
that’s making Cindy tired. If you remember from the beginning of the chap-
ter, there’s another condition we said Cindy is suffering from. It’s called sleep
apnea.
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