Research Completed

Is it safe to run if you have knee osteoarthritis?

Scientific Study Title:

The immediate effects of running on tibiofemoral cartilage integrity in people with and without knee osteoarthritis.

Start Date:

2017

End Date:

2019

Research Category

Health Habits & Wellbeing, Prevention of Arthritis and Complications

Why do this research?

Reason For Research

In 2010, it was estimated that 4.5 million Canadians (13% of total population) had osteoarthritis (OA), a number that is projected to increase to 10.5 million (26% of population) by 2040. The knee is very commonly affected, and physical activity is widely recommended as an effective treatment approach for knee OA. Running provides many benefits to general health; however, many people with knee OA stop running as they are unsure if it is safe for them to keep doing this activity because it involves impact. The goal of this study was to evaluate the effects of running on the knee joint and knee cartilage. We used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to compare how knee cartilage responded to running in people with and without OA. Our goal was to use the results of the MRI’s to advise people with knee OA about the safety of running.

Methodology

Execution of Research

We recruited two groups of females: one group with knee OA and one group without knee OA. We had 10 participants in each group. We used MRI scans to assess different measures of knee cartilage before and after running on a treadmill for 30 minutes. Specifically, we took one MRI scan before participants ran on the treadmill, and one after. We completed the same procedures for both groups.

Findings & Next Steps

We found that overall, there were no significant differences in the knee cartilage among the two groups immediately after running. However, we did find that runners with knee OA showed increases in how quickly water molecules move around within the knee tissue in certain parts of the knee cartilage 55 and 90 minutes after running. This suggests that runners with knee OA may need longer recovery times before their next run, and that they should be advised to reduce the duration of their runs if symptoms increase after their session.

Related Publications

Esculier JF, Jarrett M, Krowchuk NM, et al. Cartilage recovery in runners with and without knee osteoarthritis: A pilot study. Knee. 2019;26(5):1049-1057. doi: 10.1016/j.knee.2019.07.011

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