Weight gain of 5kg increases a woman’s odds of needing total knee replacement surgery by one-third, and a man’s by one-quarter, Australian researchers report.

Knee pain and stiffness also increased with this weight gain, while people’s overall quality of life and ability to use their knee decreased, the researchers told the International Congress on Obesity in Melbourne.

They reviewed 20 papers that examined the relationship between weight gain and osteoarthritis.

The studies found that weight gain had significant detrimental effects on the knee joint, including damage visible on X-rays.