5 Things Runners Should Know About Knees

Runner's World published a great article called "5 Things Runners Should Know About Knees: Starting with "whether running with ruin your knees". It begins by saying:

...there's no evidence that regular running damages knees.

I couldn't agree more. Even though many people and well meaning experts believe that running will ruin your knees, there are many reasons to believe this is untrue. 

1. Runners don't get arthritis in their knees more often than nonrunners.

The more you use your brakes on your car the faster they wear out. People often think the same rule applies to our bodies, but it doesn't work the same way. Cars are inanimate objects and our bodies are amazing living organisms. Our bodies actually get stronger the more we use them - cartilage included! Runners don't get arthritis more often but actually get stronger and more resilient knees. 

2. The above is true regardless of your age.

Stimulus response organism. That's what humans are. Our bodies keep responding to activity (i.e. getting stronger) no matter how old we are. There are some amazing examples of older runners and athletes doing things that are very inspiring. How about a 104 year old sprinter or a 100 year old marathon runner or a 82 year old nun who finished an Ironman triathlon. Here's a list of ten more amazing athletes over 60 years old. 

3. Supplements won't re-grow knee cartilage.

I think it is interesting we are always searching for the magical supplement or pill that will regrow our cartilage (the latest is stem cell injections) without first asking 'why is my cartilage wearing away in the first place?' If we can prevent the degeneration of the cartilage we might not have to worry about regrowing it later. 

4. Runner's knee is usually caused by issues elsewhere.

Very true. You can say the same about any musculoskeletal pain: the site of the pain is not the source of the pain. Neck pain can be caused by a pelvic imbalance. Foot pain can be eliminated by changing your shoulder position.  Iliotibial band (IT band) pain or patellofemoral pain syndrome is very related to hip muscle imbalances. We must remember that the body is a unit and in order to eliminate pain for good we must look at the entire body and treat the underlying cause of the pain not just the symptom. 

5. There are some simple ways to keep your knees happy.

While I agree that getting stronger is a good idea, I like to remind people that it's important to make sure that your posture is aligned before you start doing strength training because otherwise you'll be strengthening your imbalances which can lead to injury. I like the phrase: get straight then strengthen. For a free posture evaluation that can be done in-person, over Skype, or through email contact Matt at Oregon Exercise Therapy today and I'll let you know what you need to do to prevent injuries and protect your knees. 

Read the article: Runner's World: 5 Things Runners Should Know About Knees

Related articles: 
Knee joint osteoarthritis
Why runners don't get knee arthritis
Cartilage regeneration
Patellofemoral pain and your posture
Meniscus surgery ineffective 
Preventing ACL injuries