We previously wrote about whether running will hurt your knees and concluded, no it probably won’t. Of course, it certainly will hurt your knees in the short-term because right now my knees are throbbing from the 10-mile run in the snow 
that I just finished.
Anyway, here is more research that dispels the myth that running is bad for your knees. They discuss a long-term Stanford study that followed 1000 runners and non-runners. After 21 years, there was no difference between runners and non-runners as far as knee condition goes. This was even the case whether the runners went 200 miles or 2000 miles a year. According to one of the researchers…
Their joints are the same”
In a study of elderly people, they found similar results. Active people had the same risk of arthritis as inactive people. The best evidence suggests that wear and tear caused by exercise is NOT a cause of arthritis.
Reducing Injury Risk
There were a few more interesting things from recent research about running.
1. For non-competitive runners, reducing your stride length will reduce injury risk.
2. Keep running to reduce risk or injury. Inactivity increases injury risk.
3. Calf-muscle exercises can reduce risk of stress fractures.
4. Running reduces risk of osteoarthritis
So there you have it, keep running to your hearts content. It won’t hurt your knees and it is great for your heart.
And to keep it interesting, maybe you should consider joggling.
