Recent research suggests that not only does running not hasten the advent of arthritis in your knees but may actually protect your knees from injury.
. . . osteoarthritis, which affects nearly 20 million Americans, is caused mainly by genes and risk factors like obesity (obese men and women are at least four times more likely to become arthritic than their thinner peers), rather than daily exercise or “wear and tear” of joints. In fact, a “normally functioning joint can withstand and actually flourish under a lot of wear,” says Fries. Because cartilage — the soft connective tissue that surrounds the bones in joints — does not have arteries that deliver blood, it relies on the pumping action generated by movement to get its regular dose of oxygen and nutrients. “When you bear weight, [the joint] squishes out fluid and when you release weight it sucks in fluid,” says Fries, explaining why a daily run, or any other workout, is in fact useful for maintaining healthy cartilage.
