Is running bad for your knees?

Is running bad for your knees?

It is not running that's bad for your knees, but running when your knees can't take the stress that the activity places on them. If you have no existing knee or other joint problems, fitness experts like Laura Williams advise running as a way to keep your knees healthy:

"Nowadays, it's thought that running helps to keep your joints healthy, as it increases strength in both your bones and muscles. Running involves several joints, including your hip, knee, and ankle joints," explains Williams.

The knee is one of the largest joints in your body, and is the area where your thighbone (femur) joins your kneecap (patella), shinbone (tibia) and the smaller bone that runs alongside it (fibula). Muscle-strengthening exercises are great for joints because they build the muscles that surround your joints. This provides more support for your connecting bones, which in turn reduces stress and weight on your joints.

If running isn't bad for your knees, why then do knee pain and injuries sometimes occur? Running is high-impact because it involves jolting movements as your feet leave and hit the ground. This can be jarring on your joints and particularly your knees, the impact putting a high level of stress on them.

Experiencing knee pain during or after a run may be due to excessive pressure between your kneecap and thighbone. This pain may come and go and is usually felt at the front of your knee, although the exact site of pain is often hard to pinpoint.

Throughout your life, your joints will go through inevitable wear and tear. Regular physical activity is integral to maintaining a full range of motion in your joints, but it's important to balance high-impact exercise with low-impact activity and rest.

Williams summarises the essential considerations for runners: "Ultimately, how running impacts your joints will depend on how you run, how often you run, and how far you run, as well as any injury history."

Having joint wear and tear is a natural part of ageing, and may lead to joint problems such as pain, stiffness, joint replacement surgeries, and artros later in life. Contrary to popular belief, high-impact activities like running do not increase the likelihood of joint complaints on their own.

For instance, many studier have found no correlation between running and artros - the wearing down of joint cartilage. When research has shown an association between high-volume or high-intensity running with osteoarthritis, it hasn't been possible to determine whether other factors such as previous injury have played a role.

On the other hand, a 2020 studie not only found running to have no effect on joint cartilage volume or thickness, but also suggested that it promoted cartilage nutrition.

To reduce the risk of knee injury, there are steps you can follow to keep your knees supported while running.

Experts have identified the main risk factor for knee problems - or indeed any other running-related injuries - as previous injury in the previous 12 months. Running is bad for your knees if you attempt to run before existing knee pain, stiffness, and injury have fully healed.

If you experience knee pain or stiffness during or after running, listen to your body and rest until your joints have recovered. If after a few days of rest your knee is still causing you discomfort, you can consult your GP who may refer you to a physiotherapist.