Every runner is probably aware of the myth that running is bad for your knees. And this is usually told to them by non-runners! However, this is a myth. Only if you run extreme mileage are you likely to create problems for your knees.
How did this myth originate? It is likely from studies on joints that were done in the 1940s-1960s. In these studies, joints from dead animals or human cadavers were put into mechanical devices to simulate repetitive high load movements. They found that eventually these joints wore out. When the running boom started in the 1970s people looked back at these studies and assumed that running would wear out your knees – a seemingly obvious link. Except …
… living joints are very different from dead joints. The cartilage in your knee has no blood flow to it. Instead it acts like a sponge. When it gets compressed some of its fluid will be squeezed out and then when it is unloaded it reabsorbs fluid again. It is this fluid exchange that provides the nutrients that it needs to remain healthy. This does not happen to dead joints.
Different studies have shown that recreational runners will have healthier knee joints than sedentary people with a roughly 3 times lower risk of developing osteoarthritis. One study of over 100,000 people showed that the risk of developing knee or hip osteoarthritis was:
- Recreational runners: 3.5%
- Sedentary population: 10.2%
Only if you are regularly running over 50 miles a week might you expect to have a higher risk than a sedentary person, 13.3%.
It is true that runners can often get knee pain. However this is often not permanent and usually due to doing too much too soon, overloading the knee. This is of course where a coach can help!
So the next time you are told that running will ruin your knees, you can tell them that it is not-running that is actually worse.
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