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Long distance running and osteoarthrosis.

L Konradsen¹, E M Hansen, L Søndergaard

¹Department of Rheumatology, County Hospital, Hillerød, Denmark.

The American Journal of Sports Medicine

|July 1, 1990

Summary

Long-term, long-distance running does not appear to increase the risk of developing osteoarthritis in lower extremity joints. This study found no significant differences in joint health between lifelong runners and non-runners.

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Area of Science:

Sports Medicine
Orthopedics
Rheumatology

Background:

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative joint disease affecting millions.
The impact of high-volume, long-term physical activity, such as long-distance running, on OA incidence remains a subject of investigation.
Previous research has yielded conflicting results regarding the relationship between running and OA.

Purpose of the Study:

To evaluate the long-term effects of competitive long-distance running on the incidence of degenerative joint disease in the lower extremities.
To compare joint health in lifelong long-distance runners with age- and weight-matched non-runners.

Main Methods:

Examined hips, knees, and ankles of 30 former competitive long-distance runners (active since the 1950s) and 27 non-running controls.
Collected subjective, objective, and roentgenographic data for comparison.
Assessed joint alignment, range of motion, pain, cartilage thickness, degeneration grade, and osteophytosis.

Main Results:

No significant differences were observed in joint alignment, range of motion, or pain levels between runners and non-runners.
Roentgenographic examinations revealed no significant differences in cartilage thickness, degeneration grade, or osteophytosis between the groups.
Only one of the 30 runners ceased activity due to osteoarthrosis.

Conclusions:

Lifetime long-distance running, at levels comparable to today's recreational runners, is not associated with premature osteoarthritis in lower extremity joints.
The findings suggest that running may not be detrimental to lower extremity joint health in the long term.
Further research could explore the specific biomechanical factors or genetic predispositions that may influence OA development in runners.

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