Knees and running create a perfect partnership
By K10 Patel / Nov 16th, 2023
I keep hearing people say that running is bad for your knees. It seems to me that the people saying this are either non-informed runners, people living a sedentary lifestyle, or just ignorant people who do not have a clue about exercise and overall health.
“Running is bad for your knees.”
“If you continuously run for many years, by the time you are in your 50s, your knees will be gone.”
“Training for a marathon puts a lot of burden on your knees”
Over the last few years, I have heard the above statements and I feel the need to make corrections to them. I do not have a medical degree, but I did feel the need to set the facts straight with the misinformed public.
Let me start out by stating the obvious that if you feel pain in your knees, then you should listen to your body and stop running. Running impacts your knees – With each step, your knee is absorbing the shock, and this is a recurring process until you stop running. But running is not bad for your knees. Let me repeat that statement and say running is NOT bad for your knees. People have a big misconception when it comes to cartilage degradation, your knees, and running. There are no facts out there by any medical association, doctor, or research organization that explicitly conclude with a blanket statement that running is bad for your knees.
I feel as if the opposite is true when it comes to knees and running. Running is good for your knees with the appropriate increase in mileage and adequate running shoes. I added those two caveats because they are large factors in knee health.
You cannot complete a 10-mile week and run thirty miles the following week. The 20-mile increase from Week 1 to Week 2 is just too much for your knees to handle. While your body may feel OK after the 30-mile week, you will eventually pay the price with a part of your body telling you that something is wrong. Also, supportive running shoes are essential for shock absorption. If you are overweight or need cushioning is the right spots to support your gait, then stability shoes go a long way in supporting your knees. See my blog Running Shoes. Which Ones Should I Buy? for more info on running shoe type.
What Is a Runner’s Knee?
It is no secret that one of the most common types of running injury is the runner’s knee. Doctors may refer to this with the scientific name as Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome, abbreviated as the acronym PFPS or Iliotibial Band Syndrome, abbreviated with the acronym ITBS (or the IT Band injury as I like to call it). Runners like to build up their mileage over the course of a week and at times tend to increase their mileage too quickly from week-to-week, however, building endurance and stamina gradually over time is key, so doing too much too quickly is a bad thing.
Last time I had the IT band injury was many years ago, however, it took me about ten weeks for my knee to recover back to 100%. It was a slow and painful process that took much longer than anticipated to recover. The IT Band is the muscle on the side of the leg that extends from the hip to the knee. This is an injury that is more painful when going up and down the stairs.
What Causes a Runner’s Knee? And How Can I Maintain Strong Knee Joints?
If you have a sweet tooth, eating some chocolate is OK, however, when you eat too much chocolate, your digestive system will give you indication that something is wrong. With the same analogy, too much running without slowly increasing your workload can be exhausting for your body, especially your knees. This is the cause that led to my IT band injury.
One thing that I have personally felt assisted me with never having an IT band injury again is thigh exercises which are training your quadriceps muscles. There are many different types of exercises to strengthen those quadriceps, however, the two I like the most are Wall Sits and Weighted Squats.
Wall Sits
Start in the upright position with your back and heels against the wall. With your back remaining against the wall, bend your knees and start tip-toeing your feet away from the wall until your upper thighs are approximately parallel to the floor.
Hold the wall sit for 30 seconds. Repeat three times.
If you can’t hold it that long, try starting with 10 seconds and repeat three times. Build up your hold time in five second increments until you can do three sets of 30 second holds.
If 30 seconds is too easy, hold the position for 60 seconds and repeat three times. Ensure that your upper legs are parallel to the floor while holding the position.
Weighted Squats
The weighted squat starts in the upright position and I only squat down as far as when my knees are parallel with the floor. Other people who do this exercise may go down further.
This exercise is very good for back health as well, so if you want to strengthen your quadriceps and back in one shot, this exercise would be ideal for you.
As the name suggests, weighted squats require weights and are suited for people who have access to a gym. For the weighted squat, shoot for a weight that you can handle.
If you can squat with the weight more than 10 times with ease, the weight is too light. The goal is to strengthen the quadriceps, not tone the quadriceps, so the weight should be selected such that you can only do a few reps. Do three sets.
Training your muscles next to your shin will also support your knee better. Rather than getting scientific and naming the muscles by and around your shin, I’ll just say that there are three main muscles in the lower leg. Running tends to put force on the knees which partially absorbs this force, however, having strong muscles around the knee such as the quadriceps can help with the shock absorbed by the knee joint.
Another strong component that helps with shock absorption are your running shoes. Bad running shoes will not provide the appropriate cushioning or arch support your feet may need. If any of those two items are not right for your gait analysis, your feet and knees will absorb a lot more shock than necessary which will cause more wear and tear on your knee joints than you desire.
Bottom Line
Running is NOT bad for your knees, but inadequate shoes or rapid increase in mileage from week-to-week can lead to knee injuries. Building your endurance gradually, strength training surrounding muscles to the knee, and proper running footwear are fundamental keys to keeping your knees stress-free and in great health. Next time you overhear or have somebody tell you that running is bad your knees, make sure you tell them that the opposite is true – Running is great for your knees.