Does running lead to knee osteoarthritis?

This question is a common one that is aked of many rheumatologists, orthopedists, and family practice docs.  The answer changes every week.  This latest study contradicts a study presented by radiologists at their national meeting earlier this year.

So anyway, here it is…

Running may not increase risk of developing osteoarthritis later in life.

Time (12/25, Narayan) reported, “The common wisdom is that regular running or vigorous sport-playing during youth subjects the joints to so much wear and tear that it increases a person’s risk of developing osteoarthritis later in life.” Now, however, “an emerging body of research” indicates there is “no connection between running and arthritis,” and that “regular, vigorous exercise…may even help protect people from joint problems later on.” For example, a 2008 study following 1,000 active runners and non-runners “for 21 years” found that “the runners’ knees were no more or less healthy than the non-runners’ knees,” no matter “how much the runners ran,” and a 2007 study of 1,279 seniors found that “the most active people had the same risk of arthritis as the least active.”

So, if you’re as confused as I am, so be it!