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Packing on those extra pounds could be lead to knee pain. That's according to researchers from Monash University in Melbourne, Australia.

According to the study, people who put on weight are more likely to develop knee pain than those who stay the same or lose weight.

"Preventing weight gain, almost no matter what weight you start out at, is going to be the key to preventing knee problems," Dr. Susan Bartlett, who has studied joint pain and obesity at McGill University in Montreal, Canada, told Reuters Health. 

Researchers observed 250 people ages 25 to 60 with no history of knee surgery, injury or knee joint disease. Over 75 percent of the participants were women and many were obese. Only 196 people completed the study and over 88 of them maintained their weight. On the other hand, 14 percent had put on weight - about 7 kilograms, or 15 pounds, on average - and 30 percent had lost weight.

According to the report published in the journal Arthritis Care and Research, other studies have suggested weight loss can improve knee problems. While researchers' findings prove that out to some degree, a large drop in weight may be needed to see a benefit.

Eighteen percent of adults in the United States experience knee pain, one of the most common forms of joint pain, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Previous research has linked overweight to a higher risk of the joint disease osteoarthritis, but this is the first report to look at the role extra weight might play in knee pain, the Australian researchers say.

The study can't show with certainty that the extra pounds caused the pain, although researchers say that's likely to be the case.

"The changes might be small, but if you can put enough of these changes together, it makes the difference between having symptoms that interfere with life, and keeping them more manageable," Bartlett told Reuters Health..

"Losing weight if you are obese, and you already have arthritis, should help with symptoms and functions, but you won't be able to completely undo the effects of weight gain," Bartlett said.