Does Running Ruin Your Knees? What a Study of 100,000+ People Found

"Won't running ruin my knees?" It's one of the questions I hear most from people who are about to start. It's a reasonable worry. But it's not what the data say.

What the study found

A meta-analysis that pooled studies with more than 100,000 people (Alentorn-Geli and colleagues, 2017) looked at hip and knee osteoarthritis:

• Recreational runners: 3.5%
• Sedentary people: 10.2%
• Competitive runners: 13.3%

What it means, and what it doesn't

It's an association study. It doesn't prove that running protects your knees: other factors may be at play, such as body weight or who chooses to keep running. What it does show is that, in this data, recreational running wasn't linked to more osteoarthritis than not running at all.

The higher figure in competitive runners suggests that volume and intensity matter, though this kind of study can't say exactly why.

Where knee problems usually come from

Overuse injuries tend to appear when load is managed badly: increasing suddenly, not resting, running through pain. That's something you can control:

• Build up gradually and avoid sudden jumps, especially in a single session.
• Include strength work in your week.
• If something hurts more than is reasonable, stop and get it checked.

If you already have a knee diagnosis, talk to your doctor before planning anything.

How to build up without overdoing it is covered in What the Road Won't Tell You, and this question is in the FAQ of What the Running Store Won't Tell You, with every source cited.

Source: Alentorn-Geli E, Samuelsson K, Musahl V, Green CL, Bhandari M, Karlsson J. The association of recreational and competitive running with hip and knee osteoarthritis: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy. 2017;47(6):373-390.

This article is for general information and doesn't replace the advice of a health professional.