Can running increase the risk of hip and knee osteoarthritis? Experts weigh in

“This is a common question in the minds of new #runners as well as experienced runners. There are no randomised controlled trials, however, there are >25 excellent research papers on the topic,” said Dr Kumar, suggesting that running, in general, is protective against knee and hip joint inflammation and damage. “The risk of OA is lower among runners as compared to nonrunners,” he added.

According to him, running does not lead to OA of knees and hips if the weekly #mileage is between 21-42 km. In contrast, the risk of hip OA increases among elite runners with weekly mileage > 92 km.

Citing the Journal of Orthopedics and Sports Physical Therapy 2017, Dr Kumar said that recreational running protects knee and hip joints with lower mileage, and lower number of years of running as compared to higher mileage, longer duration, and competitive running.

The study mentioned that running can cause OA in competitive runners with recreational runners having lower rates of hip and knee osteoarthritis (3.5 per cent) as compared to competitive runners (13.3 per cent) and nonrunners (10.2 per cent).

Here’s how running impacts your joints (Source: Getty Images/Thinkstock)

Does it work this way?

Experts suggest that running is an excellent activity to promote general health and well-being. However, running injuries are common, and concern is sometimes raised that running might lead to OA in weight-bearing joints — that is the knees and hip joints, which are the major weight-bearing joints of the body.

“Running or any sort of mobilisation of the joints is helpful. Risk of injury to any joint may be knee or hip is associated when its overuse, any wrong posture or when there is an injury in the periarticular region,” said Dr Udit Kapoor, consultant, Metro Hospital, Faridabad.

As the link between running and osteoarthritis is still being studied, evidence suggests that running may actually have a positive effect on joint health, said Dr Ankit Batra, orthopaedic surgeon, Sharda Hospital. “As with any form of physical activity, it is important to take proper precautions to avoid injury,” said Dr Batra.

Noting that the early literature on running barefoot and running with minimalist footwear has primarily focused on biomechanics but has not yet focused on any effect on cartilage health, Dr Kapoor said that currently there is not enough data to give clear recommendations to long-distance runners. “It appears that long-distance running does not increase the risk of OA of the knees and hips for healthy people who have no other counterindications for this kind of physical activity. Long-distance running might even have a protective effect against joint degeneration,” said Dr Kapoor.

Is it okay to run on roads?

Dr Kumar told indianexpress.com that running on roads is as safe as running on jogging tracks, in terms of risk of knee or hip injury. “However, there is an increased risk of getting hit by a vehicle (while running on roads). So, we advise runners to run against the traffic while running on roads. Also, start your runs early in the morning, when there is lesser traffic on the roads. Wear fluorescent T-shirts that can be noticed by drivers from a distance. If a jogging track is available nearby home, it may be preferred over roads, but in most cities, jogging tracks do not exist or they are far away from the residence,” said Dr Kumar.

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