Chris Adolphsen
Instructor Muse
English 102
3/28/12
"Phys Ed: Can Running Actually Help Your Knees?" Well Blog. Web. 29 Feb. 2012.
Recent evidence suggests that running may actually shield somewhat against arthritis, in part because the knee develops a kind of motion groove. A group of engineers and doctors at Stanford published a study in the February issue of The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery that showed that by moving and loading your knee joint, as you do when walking or running, you “condition” your cartilage to the load. It grows accustomed to those particular movements. You can run for miles, decades, a lifetime, without harming it. But if this exquisite balance is disturbed, usually by an injury, the loading mechanisms shifts, the moving parts of the knee are no longer in their accustomed alignment, and a “degenerative pathway” seems to open. The cartilage, like an unbalanced tire, wears away. Pain, tissue disintegration, and, eventually, arthritis can follow.
"The Benefits of Running." Why Running Is Good For Your Joints From Runner's World.com. Web. 29 Feb. 2012.
Running does more than just lighten the body's load. "Aerobic exercise improves most body functions--including joint health," says James Fries, M.D., professor of medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine. When you exercise, the cartilage in your hips, knees, and ankles compresses and expands. This draws in oxygen and flushes out waste products, nourishing and keeping the cartilage healthy. "Knee Pain Knee Injuries Are Neither Inevitable nor Debilitating for Runners. In Fact, Most Knee Pain Is Easily Corrected If Properly Managed." Coolrunning.com. Web. 29 Feb. 2012.
