Generic old runner used on Huffington Post story.
Next thing we’ll learn is triple jumping is balm for the knees.
Gretchen Reynolds of The New York Times on Wednesday brought to our attention a
study of runners’ knees. She
writes: “In my many decades as a runner, I have frequently been told by fellow runners and nonrunners alike that I am putting my knees at risk. The widespread argument generally follows the lines that running will slowly wear away the cartilage that cushions the bones in the joint and cause arthritis. But there is little evidence to support the idea, and a growing body of research that suggests the reverse. Epidemiological studies of long-term runners show that they generally are less likely to develop osteoarthritis in the knees than people of the same age who do not run.” She later noted how the study of under-30 folks found that “sitting for 30 minutes also changed the knee, … which [was] not expected. Sitting seemed to make the knee biochemically more vulnerable to later disease.” So now we need someone to study geezers — to see if the same conclusions apply. But don’t ask me to resume triple jumping at 62 (even if one
writer calls the event the most “Olympian.”)
14 Responses
Triple jumping is OK 😉 as long as your training schedule contains enough recovery, otherwise it’s bad. The same with high jumping. After a bike accident I had knee problems, and after some time an MRI scan has been made and the doctor said I had very thick cartilage, likely because of the intensive jumps.
Hey, Ken, how about hurdling for oldsters? Of course studying 60 plus folks like us would yield a very small sample, I wonder what researchers might find.
I remember Tom Patsalis sharing with me that long jumping was worse on his body than hurdling …. but he did share both take a toll.
Note: Tom won several masters jump titles after major surgery…. and was a stud high school, college and M50+ athlete. Over 50 (60?) years of sprinting and jumping by Tom.
Running is actually good for your knees??? Reminds me of these lines from Sleeper with Woody Allen
Dr. Melik: This morning for breakfast he requested something called “wheat germ, organic honey and tiger’s milk.”
Dr. Aragon: [chuckling] Oh, yes. Those are the charmed substances that some years ago were thought to contain life-preserving properties.
Dr. Melik: You mean there was no deep fat? No steak or cream pies or… hot fudge?
Dr. Aragon: Those were thought to be unhealthy… precisely the opposite of what we now know to be true.
Dr. Melik: Incredible.
Bill, hurdling is considered an elongated stride. But as I learned when I tore my lead-leg ACL by landing wrong (center of mass way behind my knee), hurdling has its risks. Methinks if you can sprint and land properly off the hurdle, all is well.
Ken, my question was somewhat tongue in cheek, knowing we both have had ACL replacements, though I believe I lead you 2 to 1. I’ve not raced since the Canadian champs in 2015, primarily because of knee issues. But the better question for me is what’s the alternative? None that I really care for. And the benefits of hurdling still outweigh the risks, so if my knees cooperate a bit, I’ll continue hurdling–maybe this year if fortune smiles on me.
I think that Weia & Ken [#5] are correct. If you are in good shape and have decent form, running, jumping and hurdling should be no problem. Poor take off form lead to knee issues which caused me to cease high jumping but I can do the long triple jump with no problems.
Depends on what type of running. When I used to run 5ks in my 40s, I developed articular cartilage damage in my knee joint. When I began training as a sprinter, my knee issues went away.
Old news. Runners stay fit, most old people get fat. Fat people are hard on their knees EVERY step, runners for a very short time, relatively speaking.
Ummm. The Abstract of the cited study says:
METHODS:
Six recreational runners completed a running (30 min) and control (unloaded for 30 min) session in a counterbalanced order. Synovial fluid (SF) and serum samples were taken before and after each session. Cytokine concentration was measured in SF and serum using a multiplexed cytokine magnetic bead array. Ground reaction forces were measured during the run.
The NYT article, however, says: “To find out, researchers at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, recruited 15 male and female runners under the age of 30 with no history of knee injury or arthritis.”
In either “event” it seems like a very small sample for an age population under 30, engaged in undefined “recreational running.” Likely more studies needed.
Six runners, thirty minutes, seven authors. That’s kind of funny.
David, [#10] I agree, that is a very small sample size and probably much too small to be considered a valid study. Disappointing to hear that it was passed off as a legitimate medical study with valid conclusions.
The concerns about the sample size are valid, in that studies of fewer than 65-80 people do not typically qualify for what is labeled as a “medium effect size” (sizes of 400+ are “large”effect sizes). Countless other studies, however (most of which are observational), support these conclusions. The worst things that can happen to someone are (1) severe chronic and/or acute injuries/diseases of the bones/joints, (2) zero-gravity environments, (3) aging, and (4) zero exercise. Of course, genetics & diet are major influences.
So avoid (1) & (2); deal with (3) & (4).
The ideal study would be to take thousands of identical twins and then from birth, put one from each set in the perfect combination of conditions & the other one in the worst, then study them for a lifetime (sign me up for that study!)
Masters athletes as well as all physically active, aging individuals provide a wealth of data that needs to be collected and studied.
My Ortho surgeon implored me to stop running after my severe lateral meniscus bucket handle tear repair. That was four years before my first middle distance WR.
My X-rays look fine and my knees haven’t felt this good for 10 years…
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