Knee Osteoarthritis and Running: Is there any Evidence for Association?

The knee is the most common lower limb joint affected with Osteoarthritis (OA), which is a debilitating illness. The relationship between OA knee and running is not clear-cut, yet they are always associated with one another. The multitude of people suffering from lifestyle diseases is approaching epidemic proportions and Governments have to spend millions of dollars to manage these disorders. This has forced authorities to think about primary prevention rather than managing them after their onset. Slowly and steadily, the awareness about physical activity is increasing among the public. Due to this, there has been a surge in the number of people participating in activities for health reasons. The number of people taking part in running has also increased significantly. Many people resort to jogging and running because it is cost effective and convenient when compared to other types of exercises which need equipment or memberships. However, in addition to this, the concerns of damage to the knee joint have attracted the attention of clinicians and researchers. The common notion is that running damages the knees. Recent studies show that this concern is misplaced. The existing scientific evidence could not establish a link between the two, except in joints with a history of previous injury. Interestingly, results of some studies show that the chances of undergoing surgery for OA are less in runners. This article reviews the relevance of high-quality literature that looks at the link between running and the development of knee osteoarthritis.