Recreational running is good for hip and knee health – latest findings

Recreational runners are less likely to experience knee and hip osteoarthritis compared to competitive runners or those who are more sedentary, says research in the Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy.

Scientists looked at 17 studies involving a total of 114,829 people and found that running at a recreational level for up to 15 years (and possibly more) could be safely recommended as a general health exercise. The evidence also suggests that recreational running may have benefits for hip and knee joint health.

“The principal finding in this study is that, in general, running is not associated with osteoarthritis,” says Dr Eduard Alentorn-Geli who led the research. “The novel finding in our investigation is the increased association between running and arthritis in competitive, but not in recreational, runners.”

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