Does Running Wear Out Your Knees?

One of the most passed on urban myths is that running wears out your joints – and that by doing it frequently, runners are at risk of developing chronic arthritis and knee problems in the future.

This misconception has been busted with science!

The effect of running on the joints has been researched in-depth over the years, and all evidence collected points out to the opposite of this myth: runners tend to have less joint wear & tear than non-runners, and long time runners maintain joint health throughout their senior years. The knee joint has the focus of most of the research conducted. The majority of these studies could not demonstrate a connection between running and osteoarthritis. In fact, they suggest that players direction-change sports such as soccer, football and hockey are at greater risk of developing knee osteoarthritis.

In is important to note that these studies did not say that running will protect against osteoarthritis. However, most of them concluded that running will not increase your risk of it. So, when someone tells you that you’re doing terrible things to your joints by running – you can tell them that’s not the case at all!

What is Osteoarthritis?

Osteoarthritis is a joint disease that occurs when protective cartilage on your bones wears down over time. Osteoarthritis can appear in any joint of your body, however, the most affected areas are knees, hips, and hands. Osteoarthritis symptoms will develop and worsen over time. The most common symptoms of this disease are:

joint pain
joint tenderness
joint stiffness
limited range of motion
grating feeling
bone spurs

How Can PhysioChiroWellness Help?

At PhysioChiroWellness Integrated Health Centre our highly-skilled practitioners work together to create fully integrated health solutions that may include physiotherapy, chiropractic, massage therapy, acupuncture, naturopathy, medical aesthetics amongst others. Our professionals will work together towards achieving an optimal health for all our patients through a holistically approach when treating any condition or pain they may present. This service is provided in our Ajax, Mississauga, Newmarket, & Vaughan clinics and can be booked at any time.

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Does Running Wear Out Your Knees?