Middle aged women and men who engage in too much exercise can damage the cartilage and ligaments in their knees according to a new study released by the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).
How much is too much? For the 45-55 year old men and women who took part in the study, excess activity included performing several hours of walking or sports, in addition to yard work and household chores.
Dr. Christoph Stehlin, the lead author said: “This study and previous studies by our group suggest that high-impact, weight-bearing physical activity, such as running and jumping, may be worse for cartilage health. Conversely, low-impact activities, such as swimming and cycling, may protect diseased cartilage and prevent healthy cartilage from developing disease.”
It doesn’t pay to exercise heavily, especially when it comes to running, because as this study illustrates, too much exercise damages the body. This information reiterates what I learned from spinal surgeon Nat Tindel when I interviewed him back in 2006: according to Dr. Tindel running is very bad for joint health. In women, running also contributes to breast tissue sag, greater storage of fat on the abdomen and a decrease in breast size in women who experience ongoing excess stress.
Points also worth considering, but not examined in this study, are whether joint mis-alignment caused by poor posture contributed to increased knee damage. Also worth noting are that a lack of sleep, poor dietary habits, and alcohol intake all affect the rate and amount of tissue damage, and the degree of arthritic symptoms.
Source: Stehling, C., Lane, N., Nevitt, M., McColloch, C. and Link, T. (2009). Subjects with higher physical activity levels have more severe focal knee lesions diagnosed with 3T MRI: Analysis of the non symptomatic incidence cohort of the osteoarthritis initiative. Radiological Society of North America. Press release SSC10-02.
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Reduce back pain with exercise - how much is best?
Expose: What gyms and health clubs don’t want you to know. Part 1
Expose Part 2: What gyms and health clubs don't want you to know.
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