Patients often come in and sheepishly admit to the fact that they enjoy running. It seems that there is a misconception that running is bad for one’s knees.
However, the fact is that runners often have very good knees and there is little to no data to support that running is actually harmful. We do know that most of us with bad knees cannot run.
This study looked at a compilation of studies analyzing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) images after running to assess cartilage changes. According to this study: “The amount of weight-bearing femoral cartilage fell by 3.3% and the volume of patellar cartilage reduced by 4.9%” — but it appears that after 90 minutes most parameters returned to normal.
Read more about running and knee stress in this article in Physician’s Weekly.