Does running hurt your knee joints? Misunderstood! Being overweight

According to statistics from the Republic of China Road Running Association website, the number of road running events in Taiwan has increased from 89 in 2011 to 250 in 2013, indicating that jogging is becoming increasingly popular in Taiwan. Although jogging is good for health, many people believe that jogging will hurt the knees and dare not try it. However, a recent study in the United States has overturned this perception and found that running does not cause direct damage to the joints. Only those who are overweight or have a family history of joint disease need to pay special attention.

Jogging has become a popular form of exercise in recent years. Studies have shown that it does not harm joints for most people, but can strengthen knee cartilage. (Photo/From The Washington Post)

Running is good for health and increases the elasticity of knee cartilage

According to a report in The Washington Post, Paul Williams, a research professor at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, conducted a long-term follow-up study on 90,000 runners. He analyzed the frequency, intensity, age, and weight of exercise in the two groups, and counted the number of people in the two groups suffering from degenerative arthritis and undergoing hip replacements. He found that the incidence of the two diseases was lower in the groups that engaged in running of different intensities and distances, indicating that running promotes health more than it harms.

Researchers said that most people think that running will hurt the joints because they think of the joints as machine parts, just like the chain of a bicycle will wear out after riding for a long time. However, the human knee cartilage is actually very elastic and can adapt to external pressure. Jogging is one way to help accelerate cartilage metabolism and enhance joint elasticity.

If there is a history of arthritis in your family, or if your BMI is over 30, be careful that running may increase the burden on your knees.

Obese people are more likely to suffer from arthritis when running

A research report published in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise shows that the cause of arthritis is more related to acquired obesity or a family history of arthritis. If these two problems do not exist, running basically does not increase joint damage.

In addition, as early as 2011, a report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) pointed out that obese people have a 45% higher chance of developing arthritis. For every pound gain or loss, the knees will bear 4 pounds of pressure. This shows the connection between body weight and joint pressure. If you are overweight, you can start training with brisk walking to avoid putting too much pressure on your knees all at once, which may lead to sports injuries.

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