Watch Your Weight

Research shows that carrying even a little extra weight triples your chances of developing arthritis. Every pound you carry puts an average of five pounds of added stress on your knees when you move, so being just 10 pounds overweight is like having 50 extra pounds of pressure on your joints. Research also has shown, however, that for a woman of average height, losing as little as 11 pounds may cut the risk of osteo-arthritis of the knee by up to 50%.