beanlicker
03-20-2014, 07:28 PM
Why pounding the pavement doesn’t put your knees at risk
By Brendan Klinkenberg (http://www.menshealth.com/by/Brendan-Klinkenberg), Image from Thinkstock, 2 hours ago
http://www.menshealth.com/sites/default/files/2014/03/runners-knee.jpg
Ever been told that all those miles running will mess up your knees when you’re older? Don’t pay any attention to that. Running is no more likely to cause knee problems than walking, reports new research out of Canada.
In the study, researchers had adults walk or run on a moving platform that captured data on the amount of force, or load, each step had with the ground over a set distance. Results showed that the force exerted on the knees while running was as much as 3 times higher than while walking, but this was offset by the time runners spent in the air and the length of their stride.
Here’s what’s going on: Every step you take walking exerts a load on the knee 2 to 3 times your body weight. The force exerted from running increases that load to anywhere between 5 to 12 times your weight, depending largely on running speed or form. While the extra load caused by running has long been a concern, it has never been shown to increase the risk of knee osteoarthritis—the irreversible wearing away of the knee cartilage—for runners, says Ross Miller, Ph.D. and study author.
“While walking, your foot is on the ground about 60 percent of the time, but in running that’s reduced to about 30 percent of the time,” says Miller. “Even though the load is higher, you don’t experience it for a very long time.” Additionally, because running has a longer stride length than walking, it means fewer steps are required to travel the same distance.
“When we calculated the load you accumulate over a set distance, the load your knee experienced was the same while walking as it was while running,” says Miller. Running can still lead to other, temporary knee injuries, but the single-largest risk factor for knee osteoarthritis is obesity, something that is mitigated by running regularly.
By Brendan Klinkenberg (http://www.menshealth.com/by/Brendan-Klinkenberg), Image from Thinkstock, 2 hours ago
http://www.menshealth.com/sites/default/files/2014/03/runners-knee.jpg
Ever been told that all those miles running will mess up your knees when you’re older? Don’t pay any attention to that. Running is no more likely to cause knee problems than walking, reports new research out of Canada.
In the study, researchers had adults walk or run on a moving platform that captured data on the amount of force, or load, each step had with the ground over a set distance. Results showed that the force exerted on the knees while running was as much as 3 times higher than while walking, but this was offset by the time runners spent in the air and the length of their stride.
Here’s what’s going on: Every step you take walking exerts a load on the knee 2 to 3 times your body weight. The force exerted from running increases that load to anywhere between 5 to 12 times your weight, depending largely on running speed or form. While the extra load caused by running has long been a concern, it has never been shown to increase the risk of knee osteoarthritis—the irreversible wearing away of the knee cartilage—for runners, says Ross Miller, Ph.D. and study author.
“While walking, your foot is on the ground about 60 percent of the time, but in running that’s reduced to about 30 percent of the time,” says Miller. “Even though the load is higher, you don’t experience it for a very long time.” Additionally, because running has a longer stride length than walking, it means fewer steps are required to travel the same distance.
“When we calculated the load you accumulate over a set distance, the load your knee experienced was the same while walking as it was while running,” says Miller. Running can still lead to other, temporary knee injuries, but the single-largest risk factor for knee osteoarthritis is obesity, something that is mitigated by running regularly.