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Running and Joint Pain
Joints are any place or part of your body at which two or more bones
are joined. A reader asked about the effects of running on the
joints – I’ll assume they are referring to the weightbearing joints
of the lower extremities such as the small joints within the foot,
the ankles, knees and hips. When I refer to the joints herein, it is
these weightbearing joints to which I am referring.
When referring to ‘running’, I am assuming you are talking about
jogging 3-5 miles, 3 times per week, as opposed to running to the
bathroom. Running distances is an extremely repetitive motion on the
muscles, tendons, ligaments and joints. The highly repetitive nature
of running causes most of the pain, disease and wear and tear. The
same (almost exact) motion several thousand times per run on the
lower extremities can be taxing on the joints as opposed to a less
repetitive exercise such as basketball. Previous injuries (fractures
involving the joint surface, meniscus cartilage surgery, ligament
injury), abnormal joint alignment, muscle imbalance/weakness may
alter the ability to tolerate certain types or amount (frequency) of
weightbearing load and MAY lead to degenerative changes over time.
My opinion is this – the benefits of pain-free running far outweigh
the risk of potential joint damage from pain-free running.
Nonexcessive running will not damage the surfaces of a ‘normal’
weightbearing joint
In fact, running/walking is healthy for a joint since the
compressive forces coupled with the movement actually lubricate and
nourish the joint. To my knowledge, there are no statistics as to
the percentage of people that fall into a completely ‘normal’
classification in terms of lower extremity flexibility, muscle
balance, strength and/or boney alignment with no previous injury. I
would be willing to guess that well less than the majority would
fall into a ‘normal’ category. Individuals that are categorized as
not having good flexibility, boney alignment, strength/muscle
balance etc. (i.e. not ‘normal’) often do not have joint pain with
running. On the other hand, individuals that are considered ‘normal’
may have pain with running. As good as medicine is these days - the
amazing human body is still only partially predictable. The lesson
here is: pain should be your guide – especially with an activity
such as running, if it hurts then cut back or take a break.
‘No pain- no gain’ does not apply when it comes to true pain with
running
True pain can be defined as ‘An unpleasant sensation occurring in
varying degrees of severity as a consequence of injury, disease, or
emotional disorder’. This true pain, often associated with swelling,
usually lasts several hours or even a few days after the run is
complete. Temporary ‘pain’ (during and shortly after the run) from
burning/fatiguing muscles is OK since this is not leading to injury
or disease. Runners should not get joint pain from running, only
muscular fatigue. Outside of boney alignment, you do have some
control over factors that affect running and joint pain.
Controllable factors will affect the impact of running on your
joints
• Your weight – The more you weigh the more wear and tear on your
weightbearing joints. Non-weightbearing exercise (such as a
stationary biking and swimming) are easier on the weightbearing
joints.
• Training habits – Starting off with high mileage or a sudden
increase in mileage may be the cause of pain.
• Shoe wear – Old shoes or improper shoes can cause undue stress on
the joints. Studies have shown that as much as 50% of runners
benefit from the use of orthotics in their shoes as well.
• Warm up – Stretching properly before running will prevent many
injuries. Each major muscle group (thighs, hamstrings, hip flexors,
calves and low back) should be stretched before each run. Allow
approximately 15 minutes for stretching since each stretch should be
performed 3 repetitions with a 30 second hold for each stretch.
If you need advice on: starting running, your training habits,
muscle/flexibility assessment, shoe/orthotic wear or have persistent
joint pain – you should consult a physical therapist. A physical
therapist (a human biomechanical expert) is the most qualified
individual to asses your flexibility, muscle balance and strength
and make recommendations for appropriate exercise to address any
problems.
Upcoming topic: ‘Tennis elbow and Golfers elbow’
Please feel free to
contact me if you have an area
of interest in
health and wellness that I may give some input on.
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