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I was always under the understanding that running (potentially) ruins your knees by damaging your cartilage - bone thickness or density isn't the issue. That's

by tobtoh 13y ago

I was always under the understanding that running (potentially) ruins your knees by damaging your cartilage - bone thickness or density isn't the issue. That's why swimming is often recommended because there is no impact on your cartilage.

lostlogin 13y ago
I'm running cartilage mapping MRI sequences on knees today - and while its hardly scientific, I would have to agree. The big runners I scan have some pretty munted hips and knees. So very messed up that I can't find any decent cartilage to use as baseline normal for the scanner.
- noarchy 13y ago
  This is precisely why I'm a cyclist and not a runner. I like to think that I gave running a sincere effort, but the little aches and pains just bothered me constantly. Maybe I had poor form, or maybe my body just isn't built for it, I don't know. By contrast, after tens of thousands of kms on the bike, all I ever get are sore muscles after a hard effort.
ddeck 13y ago
I recall that the research I've seen on this in the past showed reduced bone density etc. only in serious endurance runners (e.g. multiple marathons, ultra-marathon) and indicated improvements in your "average" runner. Bone density is definitely an issue, especially for women.
joel_perl_prog 13y ago
"A study at Boston University School of Medicine looked at the continuous impact of the foot with the ground and the commonly accepted belief that running causes degeneration of the knee and can lead to all sorts of arthritic conditions. Said lead researcher and epidemiologist David Felson of BU: “We know from many long-term studies that running doesn’t appear to cause much damage to the knees. When we look at people with knee arthritis, we don’t find much of a previous history of running, and when we look at runners and follow them over time, we don’t find that their risk of developing osteoarthritis is any more than expected.” Felson added that recreational running doesn't increase the risk of arthritis." Quoted from: http://www.mizunousa.com/running/blog/article/the-planet-wave-is-running-bad-for-your-knees http://www.mizunousa.com/running/blog/article/the-planet-wav...

by tobtoh 13y ago

lostlogin 13y ago

I'm running cartilage mapping MRI sequences on knees today - and while its hardly scientific, I would have to agree. The big runners I scan have some pretty munted hips and knees. So very messed up that I can't find any decent cartilage to use as baseline normal for the scanner.

noarchy 13y ago
This is precisely why I'm a cyclist and not a runner. I like to think that I gave running a sincere effort, but the little aches and pains just bothered me constantly. Maybe I had poor form, or maybe my body just isn't built for it, I don't know. By contrast, after tens of thousands of kms on the bike, all I ever get are sore muscles after a hard effort.

ddeck 13y ago

I recall that the research I've seen on this in the past showed reduced bone density etc. only in serious endurance runners (e.g. multiple marathons, ultra-marathon) and indicated improvements in your "average" runner. Bone density is definitely an issue, especially for women.

joel_perl_prog 13y ago

"A study at Boston University School of Medicine looked at the continuous impact of the foot with the ground and the commonly accepted belief that running causes degeneration of the knee and can lead to all sorts of arthritic conditions. Said lead researcher and epidemiologist David Felson of BU: “We know from many long-term studies that running doesn’t appear to cause much damage to the knees. When we look at people with knee arthritis, we don’t find much of a previous history of running, and when we look at runners and follow them over time, we don’t find that their risk of developing osteoarthritis is any more than expected.” Felson added that recreational running doesn't increase the risk of arthritis." Quoted from: http://www.mizunousa.com/running/blog/article/the-planet-wave-is-running-bad-for-your-knees http://www.mizunousa.com/running/blog/article/the-planet-wav...