A common question that I get in the medical field is “Will I get arthritis if I run?” Common sense would say yes but the research says otherwise. If addition, I rarely see individuals that used to be triathletes and runners undergo a total knee replacement. These clients are typically overweight/obese and inactive.
Arthritis comes in many forms, but the most common is osteoarthritis (OA). OA affects greater than 40 million adults in the United States. The condition can be crippling and costly. $65 billion is reported in medical costs each year. Most of the individuals that I see have been diagnosed with OA or degenerative changes of the specific joint, but that is not always the problem. Thirty-three to 68% of adults greater than 55 years of age have radiographic (x-ray) evidence of OA. Some reports suggest 15% of adults greater than 60 years of age have symptomatic OA. In some research is has been reported that 80% of those over the age of 65 years of age have radiographic evidence of OA, but 40 to 80% are pain free. Two questions to consider: does OA come from running; is OA related to your pain?
Much of the research pertaining to OA studied repetitive manual labor. Unfortunately, some of this information has been broadly generalized and used to predict the effects of running. This application of the data provides false information. Recently, more studies have been done that specifically addressed running. One study, written by Lane et al., suggests that runners have a greater bone density but not greater radiographic evidence of OA of the knees. In a study by Dr. Eliza Chakravarty, a researcher at Stanford University, it was found that less radiographic evidence of OA was present in runners versus non-runners who were followed for 18 years.1 Researchers at Stanford University, Dr. Kohatsu and Dr. Schurman, determined that the risk factors for OA include obesity, prior knee injury, and heavy manual labor but not running.2 Dr. Konradsen of County Hospital in Denmark found no relationship between runners covering 12-25 miles/week for an average of 40 years and sedentary controls.3 In yet another study, researchers Marti and Knobloch of the University of Zurich found that runners had more radiographic changes of OA than bobsledders or sedentary controls, especially those who ran more than 65 miles each week.4
In conclusion, this research suggests that running has not been linked to increase OA, especially when running less than 25 miles each week. There is no proven relationship between low and moderate volumes of running and OA. In fact, beneficial findings have been noted in some research. The above literature is only a small percentage of the information. Further research is needed to investigate the relationship of running and OA of the spine and ankle. Much of the research focuses on the knee. However, although this research is reassuring, there are still other factors to consider for those who want to maintain the integrity of their knees. Always maintain good shoe wear, treat injuries appropriately, and modify your activities accordingly. If the pain is persistent despite what you do, consider biomechanical factors that may be related to your symptoms.
Chakravarty EF, Hubert HB, Lingala VB, Zatarain E, Fries JF. Long Distance Running and Knee Osteoarthritis: A Prospective Study. Volume 35, Issue 2, Pages 133-138 (August 2008).
Kohatsu ND, Schurman DJ. Risk factors for the development of osteoarthrosis of the knee. Clin Orthop Relat Res. 1990 Dec;(261):242-6.
Konradsen L, Hansen EM, Søndergaard L. Long distance running and osteoarthrosis. Am J Sports Med. 1990 Jul-Aug;18(4):379-81.
Knobloch M, Marti B, Biedert R, Howald H. Risk of arthrosis of the upper ankle joint in long distance runners: controlled
follow-up of former elite athletes. Sportverletz Sportschaden. 1990 Dec;4(4):175-9.
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