How Obesity Affects Movement
The World Health Organization defines obesity and overweight as abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that may impair health. For adults, overweight is a BMI greater than or equal to 25, and obesity is a BMI greater than or equal to 30. Obesity is one of the leading causes of disease both in the United States and worldwide, linked to heart disease, diabetes, and many other largely preventable illnesses.
For many people carrying excess weight, exercise itself can be uncomfortable, often in the back of the knees or the ankles, and even simple movements like walking or climbing stairs can bring on discomfort and shortness of breath. Excess weight stresses the joints, affects normal movement, and predisposes people to osteoarthritis, tendonitis, and overuse injuries. Physical therapists help people who are overweight or obese get more active safely, teaching movement that is pain-free and, over time, genuinely enjoyable.
Reducing Pain
Before recommending anything, your physical therapist performs a thorough assessment and builds a program specific to your needs, so you can safely perform activities with less pain than you would trying to manage things alone in a gym.
Improving Cardiovascular Fitness
One goal of physical therapy for overweight and obese patients is improving cardiac performance. Your therapist designs a heart-healthy aerobic program to help elevate your metabolism and burn more calories, and helps you find aerobic activities you can enjoy at your own comfortable pace.
Building Strength And Movement
Your physical therapist teaches exercises that address muscle weakness, improve overall strength, and restore normal movement in stiff joints. These may start with passive motion but build toward strength that helps burn calories, makes daily activities easier, and relieves joint pain. Gentle, low-impact resistance-band work can build that strength while avoiding added stress on the joints.
Improving Flexibility And Posture
Your physical therapist identifies any tight major muscles and teaches you how to gently stretch them, while also assessing your posture and teaching exercises that help you maintain it. Good posture makes difficult activities easier and less painful, and can even improve your breathing.
Managing obesity does not have to mean risking injury on your own. With the right guidance, it can be a safe, structured, and even enjoyable process, and understanding your options is the first step.