Why Runners Don’t Get Knee Arthritis

Education ResourcesA recent study published in Med Sci Sports Exercise (September 12, 2013 (Epub ahead of print) compared the forces that were generated (knee joint loads) while running to walking over the same distance in a small group of healthy adults. Although the peak load was three times higher in running, the relatively short duration of ground contact and relatively long length of strides in running were no higher than in walking in total per distance traveled.

The authors point out that runners do not have an especially high risk of knee OA compared to non-runners. Is this the reason why?

Walking is considered a low-impact activity and many physicians recommend walking for their older patients for both cardiovascular health and as a safer alternative to running. Previous studies had pointed out that running does not substantially increase the risk of developing hip arthritis and does not predict the future need for a total hip replacement. When compared to people who were less active, they had less overall risk of developing arthritis that people who were less active. However, until now, no one has compared the forces generated in an attempt to explain this paradox.

The primary author of the knee study says that their results are not an endorsement of running for knee health. Runners frequently succumb to knee injuries unrelated to arthritis, he said, and his study does not address or explain that situation. One such ailment is patellofemoral pain syndrome (runners’ knee).

These two studies leave many unanswered questions:

  • Did the weight (BMI) of the runners make a difference in their ultimate outcome in the real world (OA vs. no OA)?
  • Do runners with poor form/poor alignment stop running so there is a self selection process going on?
  • Is using the forces generated per distance measurement a legitimate way to look at forces generated over a lifetime of running and walking?
  • Does this study substantiate what you, the clinician, see in your practice? Or do you tend to see the “running failures” who due to faulty biomechanics or faulty genetics end up giving up on the attempt to be life-long runners? 
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Therapist seeks your help and advice for patient with severe ASD

Jennifer Posts:

DEAR ERI COMMUNITY: Hi everyone. I’m having a hard time with a patient I’m working with and would like some advice/tips please. I’m working with a 12 y/o female dx with severe ASD. She is almost completely nonverbal with the exception of “yes”, “go”, and basic animals. She is a very tall and strong girl that can easily over power me. The problem is she becomes very aggressive, increasing verbal stims, and begins hitting herself and others. She is very difficult to calm. I have identified many of the cues she gives before becoming aggressive and have identified some causes including bright lights we now work in a dimly lit treatment room with minimal natural light, and have changed the tx time to the early afternoon at a less busy time in the clinic. We have tried vestibular, deep pressure, vibration, etc. Do you have any other calming techniques that I haven’t tried yet? Thank you!

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Enter to win a free CEU course by sharing clinical challenges and tips with ERI

We would like to bring back our popular blog discussions, and build on our community of therapists. Our therapists found this avenue for discussions about clinical cases, problems and therapy tips to be invaluable.

We are offering you the opportunity to be entered into a drawing for a free CEU course. All you need to do is submit a blog entry which can be:
1. a clinical issue that you are seeking opinions about. 
2. a case problem that you are struggling with. 
3. a therapy tip that you would like to share.

The post can be of any length (up to 500 words) and photos and videos are great, as long as you have obtained written permission.

We will enter the first 50 blogs in a drawing for a free ERI course. 
Deadline for entry is October 31st, 2013 winner to be announced in November

Please post your blog in the comments section below…… you will then see your entry posted as a separate blog

We look forward to hearing your thoughts and sharing them with our ERI community.

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School-Based CEU course for therapists – a popular conference, don't be disappointed!

Therapies in the School - Education ResourcesTherapies in the School 2013 

Join us at this year’s highly acclaimed conference which will enable you to provide effective evidence-based strategies that foster increased academic performance, social participation and inclusion for all children with special needs including those with severe involvement. 

Learn to judiciously select assistive technology, appropriate assessment tools, 
sensory-based strategies, movement-based strategies and environmental/technology adaptations to facilitate student access and participation in school programming. 
Learn best practices for successful collaboration, creative solutions to workload management and new opportunities for the emerging role of therapists in addressing wellness in school settings.

November 21-22, 2013
Framingham, MA
Please click here for more information, to download a brochure and to register 

This conference filled last year – Don’t be disappointed!

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