According to some experts, going out for a daily jog could increase your risk of knee problems–such as painful knee osteoarthritis, or knee OA.
However, new research presented at the American College of Rheumatology is now challenging these claims.
According to Grace Hsiao-Wei Lo, M.D., M.S.c., lead author of the study, not only was running not shown to increase the risk of knee osteoarthritis, it may even help prevent it.
Hsaio-Wei Lo was unable to find if it was beneficial for those already suffering from this condition, however.
“Recent CDC guidelines recommend that all adults participate in regular physical activity, as there is definitive evidence that increased physical activity is associated with reduced cardiovascular events and mortality,” says Hsaio-Wei Lo, who is a researcher from the Baylor College of Medicine. “However, the influence of these physical activities on knee OA is unclear. Since running is a common leisure physical activity that involves repetitive loading, which could be harmful to the joint, I was particularly interested in studying how habitual running relates to the development of knee OA.”
The study, which was reported earlier this week, examined how running either increased or decreased the risk of knee OA in the general population, something not yet studied extensively. To do so, researchers first drew data from the Osteoarthritis Initiative (OAI) study, eventually identifying 2,683 people, of whom 56 percent were female. From there, they were given symptom questionnaires and asked about the physical activities they performed the most, as well as having knee X-rays performed on them.
After compiling the data, they had a surprising answer: People who ran frequently, regardless of their age, were less likely to have knee OA. Better yet, it appeared running lessened knee pain–an exercise thought in the past to actually increase knee pain.
For Hsaio-Wei Lo, these findings could put into question previous claims that running is bad for knee health.
“This does not address the question of whether or not running is harmful to people who have pre-existing knee OA,” says Hsaio-Wei Lo. “However, in people who do not have knee OA, there is no reason to restrict participation in habitual running at any time in life from the perspective that it does not appear to be harmful to the knee joint.”
What This Means For You
Knee pain–or knee OA, for that matter–can be crippling when it comes to living independently, but luckily, now this is avoidable. To keep knee pain at bay, consider running as your main form of exercise. It doesn’t matter how old (or young) you are either, say researchers.
Readers: Are you a runner? Why or why not?
Sources:
Running Does Not Lead to Knee Osteoarthritis, May Protect People From Developing Disease – ScienceDaily.com
Running May Reduce Risk of Knee Osteoarthritis, Knee Pain According to Researchers – NewsWise.com
The Osteoarthritis Initiative: A Multi-Center Observational Study of Men and Women – OAI.EUI-UCSF.org
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