Do you recall a time when someone asked you this question, or maybe this was a thought that popped into your head during a run.
This myth needs further investigation, and the results presented below will surprise you.
When people suggest running is “bad for your knees” I think they are referring to the assumption running increases your risk of arthritis from “wear and tear” due to excessive stress on your knees. This mentality can hinder us from participating in local races or even beginning to run because of the fear of injury.
One article I came across in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, found beneficial results when looking to see if running contributed to a greater risk of hip and knee arthritis.
Ponzio et al conducted a hip and knee survey on 675 marathoners who completed ≥5 marathons and were currently running a minimum of 10 miles per week. Interestingly, they found prevalence of arthritis was “8.8% for the subgroup of U.S. marathoners, significantly lower than the prevalence in the matched U.S. population (17.9%) and in subgroups stratified by age, sex, body mass index (BMI), and physical activity level.” Both results were statistically significant.
Moreover, Alentorn-Geli and colleagues performed a systematic review of 25 studies, consisting of 125,810 participants to look at the association of recreational and competitive running with knee and hip osteoarthritis. They concluded only “3.5% of recreational runners had hip or knee arthritis (similar for both male and female runners), whilst sedentary, non-runners (10.2%) and elite, ex-elite, or professional level runners (13.3%) had higher rates of knee and hip arthritis.”
This further supports the idea that recreational running is not as harmful to our knees as some people propose. Given this research, we can feel more confident knowing the risk of developing osteoarthritis from running is relatively low in comparison to the risk level for sedentary individuals.
Now you might be asking yourself, “How is running beneficial for our joints?”
In order to answer this question, we need to dive into basic anatomy of joint cartilage and synovial fluid in order to have a better appreciation for what makes our joints function properly.
Our knee joint is lined with a thin sheet of cartilage called articulate cartilage. Approximately “70 to 85% of the weight of the whole tissue is water.” The main function of cartilage “provides a bearing surface with low friction and wear, and because of its compliance, it helps to distribute the loads between opposing bones in a synovial joint.”(Mansour 2013)
Without cartilage lining our joint surfaces, there would be greater loads placed on our bone structures.
Thankfully, our joints also contain another important material called synovial fluid which helps provide lubrication and nutrition to the joint. A simple analogy for synovial fluid is like oil in a car engine. By doing routine oil changes every few months, our car is able to run smoother and more efficiently. This is why you may hear a healthcare practitioner mention the saying “motion is lotion”.
Write it down on a sticky note so you don’t forget.
But wait there’s more. Soft tissue structures such as muscles, tendons and ligaments provide further increased support to the joint by dispersing forces across any one specific structure. By strengthening these other tissues through exercise we can create an optimal environment for healthier joints.
Our bodies are meant to move, and if we can move more often throughout the day we can improve our function and become less susceptible to nagging injuries.
To conclude, running is a fun, simple and safe activity many people partake on a daily basis. Running is not “bad” for our joints, but there needs to be smart planning when it comes to training routine, nutrition, and lifestyle changes to reduce likelihood of injury.
Now get out there and MOVE!
Thanks for reading today, stay tuned for more
-Nick Boles
Sources:
1. Alentorn-Geli E, Samuelsson K, Musahl V, Green CL, Bhandari M, Karlsson J. The Association of Recreational and Competitive Running With Hip and Knee Osteoarthritis: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2017 Jun;47(6):373-390. doi: 10.2519/jospt.2017.7137. Epub 2017 May 13. PMID: 28504066.
2. Mansour, Joseph M. Biomechanics of Cartilage - MBZ Herrsching, www.mbz-herrsching.de/media/files/biomechanics-of-cartilage.pdf. 2013. Accessed 4 Sept. 2023.
3. Ponzio, Danielle Y. MD1,a; Syed, Usman Ali M. BS1; Purcell, Kelly BS1; Cooper, Alexus M. BS1; Maltenfort, Mitchell PhD1; Shaner, Julie MD1; Chen, Antonia F. MD, MBA1. Low Prevalence of Hip and Knee Arthritis in Active Marathon Runners. The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery 100(2):p 131-137, January 17, 2018. | DOI: 10.2106/JBJS.16.01071
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