According to a recent article published on Medical Daily, while bariatric surgery is widely recognized for its effectiveness in helping people struggling with severe obesity meet their weight loss goals and obtain such important benefits as better heart health and a lower risk of stroke, it also has a beneficial impact on patient mobility and overall quality of life. The author of the article explains that, while evidence of improvement in physical function and reduction in perceived bodily pain following bariatric surgery has long been recognized, a new study indicates that these benefits are, indeed, long-lasting. A great many people dealing with severe obesity take steps to engage in healthy physical activity, but the strain on their joints, particularly the knees, hips, and back, all too often makes exercise painful. Indeed, the medical group notes that people attempting to lose large amounts of excess body weight often face criticism from those around them that they simply aren’t working hard enough, but this is not always the case.

Severe obesity is a much more complex problem than simply having poor dietary and health habits; it is a condition deeply rooted in physiological factors that can end up being an all but insurmountable lifelong challenge. The go-to weight loss methods for the average person, diet and exercise, are often ineffective for those with severe obesity or, as noted in the article, thanks to incessant hunger pangs and joint pain, next to impossible to pull-off. Especially when it comes to working out, the extra weight obese people have can contribute to further bone and joint issues, such as osteoarthritis. Fortunately, bariatric surgery and the weight loss it encourages can not only improve these conditions, but, in some cases, it can actually reverse them.  

Bariatric procedures like the gastric sleeve and the Lap Band are often the jump start a great many people with severe obesity need in order to win their battle with obesity. Even after losing an initial small amount of excess weight with the help of bariatric surgery patients start enjoying benefits in terms of mobility, encouraging further weight loss and health improvements. Indeed, when weight loss surgery patients find that it is no longer painful to play with their children or walk their dog, for example, the quality of life benefits are priceless.