Does Running Increase Harm To Your Knees?

Running as a form of exercise continues to grow in popularity. The number of runners entering half marathons, marathons and ultramarathons is at an all-time high as people discover the physical and mental rewards of the long-distance workout. And yet, the sport continues to be dogged by the idea that running will destroy one's knees.

In an effort to get a conclusive answer to this oft-debated question of whether there is a relationship between running and knee problems (or hips or joints in general) in the average healthy person, we asked five experts (sport medicine physicians, coaches and runners) for their opinions.

1. Dr. Reed Ferber Ph.D., CAT(C), ATC Assistant Professor, Faculties of Kinesiology and Nursing, Director: Running Injury Clinic at the University of Calgary.

Q: Is there a correlation between running and knee problems in the average, healthy person who is using the right shoes and implementing a proper training plan?

Dr. Ferber: There is actually an inverse relationship meaning people who participate in a regular running program have fewer knee problems compared to those who are less active. However, this statistic does not hold up for people who have sustained traumatic knee injuries in the past such as high school football, basketball, and soccer injuries to the knees. These people have a higher prevalence of chronic injuries and osteoarthritis later in life even if they run on a regular basis.

Q: What is Runner's Knee then? ie. Do aches and pain in knees and joints not necessarily mean damage?

Dr. Ferber: Runner's knee is pain behind the knee cap (technically called Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome - PFPS). Aches and pain do not necessarily mean damage but could certainly indicate that if proper precautions are not taken an injury could occur. Precautions include a good assessment by a trained therapist, reducing mileage to allow tissue to heal, and making sure that you are running in the proper shoe.

Q: Why do so many people think running is going to wreck their knees?

Dr. Ferber: I'm not sure why but perhaps it’s because the incidence of osteoarthritis is so high.... people are paranoid about being disabled later in life.

Q: Is running harder on women?

Dr. Ferber: Running is definitely not harder on women. Women are, however, twice as likely to sustain certain injuries such as PFPS, iliotibial band syndrome (ITBS - pain on the outside of the knee), and stress fractures. In contrast, men are twice as likely to sustain hamstring injuries, meniscal (cartilage) injuries in the knee, and Achilles tendonitis.