This old school myth has been prevalent for a long time. Maybe you have heard this from your doctor or other healthcare provider at some point.
In this blog article I’m going to debunk that myth or you.
Honestly the answer is so obvious to me, it astounds me that people are still getting this advice from doctors. (Yes I hear this regularly from my own patients).
Running is most definitely not bad for your knees, or your joints in general. In fact the opposite is true!
Here is a list of studies supporting this point:
Does Running Increase the Risk of Hip and Knee Arthritis? A Survey of 3804 Marathon Runners
The Influence of Running on Lower Limb Cartilage: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
These studies show that running does not increase the risk of osteoarthritis. In fact, running has been show to IMPROVE joint health via increased cartilage thickness. Furthermore, individuals who are sedentary are at far higher risk of developing osteoarthritis than runners are.
Of course if you overdo it and go way too hard for way too long, you may run into some issues (pun intended).
But as a general principle, running is actually very healthy for your joints and decreases your risk of osteoarthritis.
Your joints NEED movement to be healthy.
And beyond just joint health, the cardiovascular and metabolic health benefits of running are absolutely enormous. Of course doing any form of cardiovascular exercise can get these benfeits, but running is a phenomenal option for this.
Leisure-Time Running Reduces All-Cause and Cardiovascular Mortality Risk
Of course have a smart plan, listen to your body, and build gradually, but no matter what you do, KEEP MOVING.
If you need help dealing with an injury to get back to running, we’re here to help.
