Is running bad for your joints? New research challenges the widespread assumption

A new study suggests runners with osteoarthritis should not be routinely discouraged from continuing higher-impact exercise based on joint replacement risk alone.

Researchers from the University of Essex analysed data from 17,661 patients with knee or hip osteoarthritis and found participation in higher-impact physical activity, such as running or tennis , was associated with 36 per cent to 48 per cent lower odds of needing a total hip replacement within 12 months.

It also found that participating in higher-impact activity was not associated with increased odds of needing a total knee replacement within 12 months.

The authors say their findings “challenge the assumption that high-impact activity is inherently harmful in osteoarthritis”.

They added that the findings suggest that higher impact physical activity “should not be routinely discouraged based on joint replacement risk alone”.

Dr Bernard Liew, who led the study, said: “The message is not that everyone with osteoarthritis should suddenly start running.

“It is that people should be supported to manage and adapt their exercise around their symptoms, abilities and goals, rather than assuming higher impact activity has to stop.”

He said that someone who is already doing higher impact activities such as running or tennis may not necessarily need to stop following an osteoarthritis diagnosis.

“There will be times when people need a short period of rest or need to modify their training to manage a painful flare-up, but that is very different from giving up these activities altogether,” he said.

“There is a widespread perception that people with hip or knee osteoarthritis should automatically switch to low-impact exercise, such as walking or swimming.

“Stopping all high-impact exercise as a blanket recommendation could mean people lose the physical, mental and social benefits they get from being active.”

Participants in the dataset used by the researchers, sourced from Denmark , self-reported their physical activity.

Researchers separated it into low-intensity, moderate-intensity, high-intensity, and high-impact categories.

High-impact activities included jogging, tennis, skiing, acrobatics, ballet, heavy labour and backpacking.