Does Running Cause Osteoarthritis?

In brief: This review of the literature on exercise and arthritis considers the relevant epidemiologic and experimental studies of animals and humans, with a focus on the relationship between running and osteoarthritis. The cause of osteoarthritis-the most common joint disease in the United States-remains unknown. The incidence of the disease increases with age and eventually afflicts most people-athletes and nonathletes alike-to some extent: Almost everyone has some pathologic abnormality in the weight-bearing joints by age 40 or 50; by age 75 at least 85% of all people have diagnosable osteoarthritis. However, there is no conclusive evidence that running causes the disease; in fact, running may actually slow the functional aspects of musculoskeletal aging.

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