Have you started running and heard, “running hurts your knee!” Then wondered if you should stop running? Well let me tell you, I’ve heard it all before, so don’t kick off those running shoes just yet.
Know you’re not alone in this thought and we all want to stay injury free, especially if your running to stay healthy. Right now is a good time to start picking up an activity to help keep the heart and mind healthy and running is a great way to exercise.
So the short answer is no, running doesn’t hurt your knees. In fact, research shows running helps keep your knees healthy...when done right. Yup, you read that right. There is a right and wrong way to run. I often find my athletes tend to have so many compensation strategies it’s like learning how to run for the first time. But that’s the good part about doing what I do. I help people to see what they are doing that can cause injury and then I help them fix it.
For example, I almost always need to get my athletes to a mid to forefoot strike. This helps to keep the pressure off the knees. The most simple way of doing that is by increasing the cadence by 10%. Your body naturally shifts your running pattern when doing this and it decreases your stride length, both helping keep your knees healthy.
There are so many ways to help keep your knees healthy when running but there is one thing you can be sure of, running does not hurt your knees.
Keep on running,
Dr. Estrada
Comments