No Category selected “You’ll ruin your knees!”

    “You’ll ruin your knees!”

    SHARE

    You cringe when you hear it.  It comes from well-meaning relatives and from complete strangers on the street.  Part of you wants to tell them to butt-out, but you’re too polite for that.

    Sorry, Non-Runners (and rejoice, Future-Runners!), if you’re using the “knee thing” as an excuse for why you can’t run, it just won’t wash.

    Studies are showing that runners actually have healthier knees as they age because:
    1.  Running helps keep excess weight at bay, which takes strain off your knees.
    2.  Running helps flush waste from cartilage cells, keeping them healthy.
    3. Running helps strengthen ligaments, which support your joints, making them more stable and less prone to injury.

    It is actually damaged cartilage that is susceptible to osteoarthritis.  Therefore, while running itself can help your joints, injuries such as strains and sprains really can ruin your knees if you don’t treat them properly and allow them to heal.  This is one of those instances where that runner-drive must be reigned in – running won’t ruin your knees, but stubbornness might!

    SHARE
    Previous articleMajor Setback…Ottawa Race Weekend Is A No-Go
    Next articleBe Your Own Great Resource
    A runner for just over four years, Karen has already completed a marathon, two half marathons and a variety of 5k and 10k races. She describes her first marathon - the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon last September - as "a nightmare." However, she met a very interesting person in the process - a man named Sydney who was running his 152nd marathon! Although the race didn't go as well as planned for Karen or Sydney, he showed her that no matter how experienced a runner you are, you can still have a bad day. "Does that mean we shouldn't bother to prepare, or maybe just shouldn't bother at all? Of course not!" says Karen. "In the end, it is what we make it." We like her optimism!