Running may protect against osteoarthritis and reduce knee inflammation

People who run on a regular basis may be lowering the risk of inflammation in their knee joints and protecting themselves against osteoarthritis, says research in the European Journal of Applied Physiology.

Markers of inflammation in the knee joint fluid of healthy men and women aged 18 years to 35 year were measured before and after a running session.

Two cytokines (GM-CSF and IL-15) that are common markers of knee joint inflammation, decreased in concentration after 30 minutes of running. Levels stayed the same when the volunteers were not running.

Although it has been assumed that the physical stress exerted on the joints during running means that it is bad for the knees, the implication of the research is that for young, healthy people, exercise can help delay the onset of degenerative joint diseases such as osteoarthritis.

Next, a study will look at if the same is true for those with previous knee injuries.

“This idea that long-distance running is bad for your knees might be a myth,” comments Matt Seeley, who is involved in the work. “This study does not indicate that distance runners are any more likely to get osteoarthritis than any other person; instead, this study suggests exercise can be a type of medicine.”

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