Member-only story
Knee Deep in Cartilage: The Truth About Running and Joint Health
Running has been a popular form of exercise for decades and is considered a low-impact activity that provides numerous health benefits. However, there has been a common misconception that running causes wear and tear on knee cartilage, leading to joint problems. But a recent study published in Osteoarthritis and Cartilage has put that myth to rest.
The study, which involved 396 adults, compared the pre- and post-run state of healthy knee cartilage using MRI. The results showed that running does not cause sustained damage to knee cartilage. In fact, the small changes to cartilage after a run were found to reverse within hours.
Immediate post-run MRI scans revealed a decrease in cartilage volume, ranging from -3.3% for weight-bearing femoral cartilage to -4.1% for tibial cartilage volume. This decrease was accompanied by a decrease in T1 and T2 relaxation times, which are specialized MRI measures that reflect the composition of cartilage and which can indicate a breakdown of cartilage structure in the case of diseases such as arthritis.
However, subsequent MRIs performed within 48 hours of the run suggested these…
