jogging good or bad
June 21, 2011 3:57 PM Subscribe
Is jogging bad for your body?
So I started jogging about 6 weeks ago. I've always been in decent shape due to the martial arts but after a recent doctor's visit in which my blood pressure was borderline high as was my cholesterol, I decided I needed to workout harder in addition to changing my eating habbits. I am now jogging about 3 miles 5 days a week. I've tried speed walking in the past but I've always felt that it doesn't compare to jogging. Will jogging do damage to my body either now or in the long term future? Is it better to speed walk as it's less impact on the body? I feel great since I've started to jog. Although my lower back has been a little sore. Any thoughts here are appreciated.
So I started jogging about 6 weeks ago. I've always been in decent shape due to the martial arts but after a recent doctor's visit in which my blood pressure was borderline high as was my cholesterol, I decided I needed to workout harder in addition to changing my eating habbits. I am now jogging about 3 miles 5 days a week. I've tried speed walking in the past but I've always felt that it doesn't compare to jogging. Will jogging do damage to my body either now or in the long term future? Is it better to speed walk as it's less impact on the body? I feel great since I've started to jog. Although my lower back has been a little sore. Any thoughts here are appreciated.
I should think the main risk is to your knees.
I'd recommend uneven ground. On pavement you're hitting the ground in the exact same way over and over again.
Shoes in good condition also help knees, and reduce the risk of a twisted ankle.
posted by justsomebodythatyouusedtoknow at 4:06 PM on June 21, 2011
I'd recommend uneven ground. On pavement you're hitting the ground in the exact same way over and over again.
Shoes in good condition also help knees, and reduce the risk of a twisted ankle.
posted by justsomebodythatyouusedtoknow at 4:06 PM on June 21, 2011
Jogging: bad for knees, told to stay off hard surfaces etc etc etc
Me? In my 80s, have run lots of years, a marathon and 5 half marathons...Do mostly walking now but every so often break into a run...not a pain in my knees at all. never. So conventional wisdom may be off. Have friends who never ran at all who have had knee replacements!
posted by Postroad at 4:06 PM on June 21, 2011 [11 favorites]
Me? In my 80s, have run lots of years, a marathon and 5 half marathons...Do mostly walking now but every so often break into a run...not a pain in my knees at all. never. So conventional wisdom may be off. Have friends who never ran at all who have had knee replacements!
posted by Postroad at 4:06 PM on June 21, 2011 [11 favorites]
1) Find out if you have a normal, under-, or over-pronated gait
2) buy running shoes appropriate to your gait that fit your feet well
3) replace them when they wear out
4) stretch after you run
These fairly simple steps should keep you in good health, especially as 15 miles/week is not super-aggressive distance running.
posted by kavasa at 4:07 PM on June 21, 2011 [3 favorites]
2) buy running shoes appropriate to your gait that fit your feet well
3) replace them when they wear out
4) stretch after you run
These fairly simple steps should keep you in good health, especially as 15 miles/week is not super-aggressive distance running.
posted by kavasa at 4:07 PM on June 21, 2011 [3 favorites]
Jogging is high impact.
If you're in any doubt then start cycling. It's low impact and far more enjoyable.
posted by fire&wings at 4:09 PM on June 21, 2011 [1 favorite]
If you're in any doubt then start cycling. It's low impact and far more enjoyable.
posted by fire&wings at 4:09 PM on June 21, 2011 [1 favorite]
every so often break into a run...not a pain in my knees at all. never. So conventional wisdom may be off.
^Anectdata.
Jogging is high impact. It puts a fair amount of stress on your ankles and knees, so in that sense it's "worse" for you than, say, swimming. You can minimize your risk by buying good shoes and having someone watch you to make sure you have decent form.
Whether jogging will affect you personally depends on your body. If you're worried, I'd talk to a physiotherapist.
posted by auto-correct at 4:12 PM on June 21, 2011 [5 favorites]
^Anectdata.
Jogging is high impact. It puts a fair amount of stress on your ankles and knees, so in that sense it's "worse" for you than, say, swimming. You can minimize your risk by buying good shoes and having someone watch you to make sure you have decent form.
Whether jogging will affect you personally depends on your body. If you're worried, I'd talk to a physiotherapist.
posted by auto-correct at 4:12 PM on June 21, 2011 [5 favorites]
I've been a runner for over 30 years, and the most prevalent injury I've seen in my fellow runners is knee pain.
If you're having lower back pain, get better running shoes and check your form while jogging.
posted by xingcat at 4:21 PM on June 21, 2011
If you're having lower back pain, get better running shoes and check your form while jogging.
posted by xingcat at 4:21 PM on June 21, 2011
I should think the main risk is to your knees.
The best research currently available demonstrates that this is actually untrue. From a muscular perspective, jogging makes you stronger, and from a cartilage perspective the current udnerstanding is that running from a kind of groove in the cartilage which actually stops further deterioration. From a bone and arthritis perspective, impact = good, not bad; it makes stronger bones and higher bone density.
Research doesn't bear out the armchair experts in this thread.
posted by smoke at 4:46 PM on June 21, 2011 [13 favorites]
The best research currently available demonstrates that this is actually untrue. From a muscular perspective, jogging makes you stronger, and from a cartilage perspective the current udnerstanding is that running from a kind of groove in the cartilage which actually stops further deterioration. From a bone and arthritis perspective, impact = good, not bad; it makes stronger bones and higher bone density.
Research doesn't bear out the armchair experts in this thread.
posted by smoke at 4:46 PM on June 21, 2011 [13 favorites]
Read this Q&A on running by the inimitable DoctorMama (who is a doctor, runner, and online provider of running advice for noobs); scroll down to the question "Will running ... give me arthritis?" She has a good list of examples from peer-reviewed medical publications that suggest that running or jogging, despite being high-impact, actually lessen your risk of injury:
http://doctormama.blogspot.com/2006/08/running-q.html
Also, a sore lower back can mean that you need to strengthen your abdominal muscles, according to DoctorMama:
http://doctormama.blogspot.com/2011/06/running-faqs-2011.html
posted by sarling at 4:51 PM on June 21, 2011
http://doctormama.blogspot.com/2006/08/running-q.html
Also, a sore lower back can mean that you need to strengthen your abdominal muscles, according to DoctorMama:
http://doctormama.blogspot.com/2011/06/running-faqs-2011.html
posted by sarling at 4:51 PM on June 21, 2011
Yes, you could injure yourself if your form isn't good. Though you aren't jogging a great deal and are in pretty good shape right now, I would recommend mixing up what you do. Jog three days a week and throw in a cycle day and a swim day. Go shoot some hoops or play some tennis.
People who dedicate themselves to a single fitness activity can cause strength imbalances that could cause injury. Swimmers, for example, can have underdeveloped backs. Mix it up and have fun with it. I appreciate the importance of routine but I think you will get more benefit if you do more than just job.
(As a side note, thanks for that link Smoke. I had read about strengthening joints via impact in the weightlifting world but had read only opposing information in the jogging world.)
posted by munchingzombie at 5:00 PM on June 21, 2011 [1 favorite]
People who dedicate themselves to a single fitness activity can cause strength imbalances that could cause injury. Swimmers, for example, can have underdeveloped backs. Mix it up and have fun with it. I appreciate the importance of routine but I think you will get more benefit if you do more than just job.
(As a side note, thanks for that link Smoke. I had read about strengthening joints via impact in the weightlifting world but had read only opposing information in the jogging world.)
posted by munchingzombie at 5:00 PM on June 21, 2011 [1 favorite]
I run at granny speed, for about 2 or 3 miles every other day in Vibram Bikilas and I love it. It's improved my knees, making my calves and ankles a lot stronger than when I started out in regular shoes. My form was pretty poor and lop-sided to start with, so the barefoot shoes force me to pay attention to how I'm running. I'm not a long distance runner, just a 48 year old who never did much running until a few years ago.
posted by bonobothegreat at 5:58 PM on June 21, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by bonobothegreat at 5:58 PM on June 21, 2011 [1 favorite]
I should think the main risk is to your knees.
The best research currently available demonstrates that this is actually untrue. . . . Research doesn't bear out the armchair experts in this thread.
That's a very simplistic summary of the metastudy the NPR article you linked to is about (PDF). The report on the study actually says:
And even the NPR article says the positive conclusions don't apply if you're over 20 pounds overweight. Also, "running can actually increase your risk of knee arthritis" if you "routinely run[] really fast — at a five- or six-minute-mile pace — or run[] in a marathon," or if you have a history of knee injury.
So, the research doesn't bear out your simplistic "impact = good" comment. Science journalism isn't the same thing as science, and science itself may not have all the answers yet.
posted by John Cohen at 6:31 PM on June 21, 2011 [7 favorites]
The best research currently available demonstrates that this is actually untrue. . . . Research doesn't bear out the armchair experts in this thread.
That's a very simplistic summary of the metastudy the NPR article you linked to is about (PDF). The report on the study actually says:
Of the three high-quality cross-sectional studies, one study of 45 healthy men reported an inverse relationship between physical activity and tibial cartilage volume (4), whereas the other two studies of healthy, community-based subjects found a positive association for tibial cartilage volume and an inverse relationship for cartilage defects (15,36). Moreover, although one high-quality longitudinal MRI study found no associa- tion between cartilage volume loss and levels of physical activity (14), there was one high-quality longitudinal MRI study that found a positive relationship between physical activity and tibiofemoral cartilage volume (36) and two high-quality cohort studies that found an inverse relationship between physical activity and cartilage defects (13,36).Those are very equivocal results, with a lot of caveats about how they need to be viewed as just tentative suggestions — hardly the resounding conclusion that running improves knee health that you get from the NPR article.
If all studies in the review were collectively examined, we would conclude that there is conflicting evidence for the relationship between physical activity and knee OA [osteoarthritis] . . .
There are several limitations to our study. We were not able to perform a meta-analysis to summarize our results because of the heterogeneity of the studies included in this review and therefore undertook a best-evidence synthesis. Moreover, given there were a limited number of MRI studies that specifically examined the effect of physical activity on the tibiofemoral cartilage volume, some of the conclusions we could make from this review were limited.
In summary, this review found that the relationship between physical activity and specific knee structures differed, with strong evidence for a positive relationship between physical activity and tibiofemoral osteophytes, absence of an association between physical activity and joint space narrowing, and strong evidence for an inverse relationship between physical activity and cartilage defects. These findings highlight the need to examine the effect of physical activity on individual structures of the knee joint rather than the joint as a whole. Moreover, these findings suggest that physical activity may not have a detrimental effect on the knee joint but may be beneficial to joint health.
And even the NPR article says the positive conclusions don't apply if you're over 20 pounds overweight. Also, "running can actually increase your risk of knee arthritis" if you "routinely run[] really fast — at a five- or six-minute-mile pace — or run[] in a marathon," or if you have a history of knee injury.
So, the research doesn't bear out your simplistic "impact = good" comment. Science journalism isn't the same thing as science, and science itself may not have all the answers yet.
posted by John Cohen at 6:31 PM on June 21, 2011 [7 favorites]
In my personal experience, I'm not sure if jogging was good for me. I ran/jogged for about a year and a half before developing a herniated disc in my lower back. Not sure if this was related to the jogging since I've had weight issues since a young age, but it seems logical that it may have contributed. Which sucks because I really liked running.
I would recommend making sure that you have the good shoes and form like everyone here has said, and also do some research into finding out which abdominal exercises would be good to do, which could help minimize any risk to your back. Though of course if you do martial arts that may not be a problem.
posted by Rinoia at 6:52 PM on June 21, 2011 [1 favorite]
I would recommend making sure that you have the good shoes and form like everyone here has said, and also do some research into finding out which abdominal exercises would be good to do, which could help minimize any risk to your back. Though of course if you do martial arts that may not be a problem.
posted by Rinoia at 6:52 PM on June 21, 2011 [1 favorite]
Long-duration cardio can actually be a heart risk, but in any reasonable quantity it should not be something to worry about.
Also (not my words):
"Prolonged, low intensity cardio causes a build up of ADP + Pi in the muscle sarcoplasm, which activates a protease that degrades contractile proteins
that, and running induces your body to shift it's energy to synthesizing mitochondria (good for cardio) over contractile proteins (good for strength)."
So, if you're concerned at all about quality or quantity of muscle, it's best not to overdo cardio.
posted by Earl the Polliwog at 6:52 PM on June 21, 2011
Also (not my words):
"Prolonged, low intensity cardio causes a build up of ADP + Pi in the muscle sarcoplasm, which activates a protease that degrades contractile proteins
that, and running induces your body to shift it's energy to synthesizing mitochondria (good for cardio) over contractile proteins (good for strength)."
So, if you're concerned at all about quality or quantity of muscle, it's best not to overdo cardio.
posted by Earl the Polliwog at 6:52 PM on June 21, 2011
John there were lots of other studies in that article mentioned as well, and I did say 'the best research currently available'. There is other research, but I'm at work this morning. You're right; I should have been more circumspect - I'm not recommending running for everyone, but jogging (i.e. by definition slow running) for the poster of this particular question is unlikely to - according to the most recent research - be a problem for them.
posted by smoke at 6:53 PM on June 21, 2011
posted by smoke at 6:53 PM on June 21, 2011
Jogging is high impact. It puts a fair amount of stress on your ankles and knees, so in that sense it's "worse" for you than, say, swimming. You can minimize your risk by buying good shoes and having someone watch you to make sure you have decent form.
Not if you do it right. Which is to let your muscles absorb the bounces, rather than your joints. If your foot steps are landing on your heels, you are doing it wrong.
posted by gjc at 7:24 PM on June 21, 2011
Not if you do it right. Which is to let your muscles absorb the bounces, rather than your joints. If your foot steps are landing on your heels, you are doing it wrong.
posted by gjc at 7:24 PM on June 21, 2011
More evidence that running does not cause knee degeneration here. Good luck!
posted by Maxa at 9:43 PM on June 21, 2011
posted by Maxa at 9:43 PM on June 21, 2011
I am not a jogger at all, and IANAD, just jumped in to offer this anecdata; recently a friend told me that her aunt is an incontinence nurse, and the worst cases she sees are runners. YMMV.
posted by vignettist at 11:18 PM on June 21, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by vignettist at 11:18 PM on June 21, 2011 [2 favorites]
Not if you do it right. Which is to let your muscles absorb the bounces, rather than your joints. If your foot steps are landing on your heels, you are doing it wrong.
That's why I said to get someone to check your form if you're worried.
I run all the time, so I'm not anti-jogging by any means. The OP asked about the risks associated with running, and I think the best answer is that for lots of people it's great exercise, and for some people it's not great.
If OP wants to minimize risk to their knees they should probably swim or cycle. Personally, I think that since they enjoy it, they should run until their body tells them otherwise.
posted by auto-correct at 1:07 AM on June 22, 2011 [1 favorite]
That's why I said to get someone to check your form if you're worried.
I run all the time, so I'm not anti-jogging by any means. The OP asked about the risks associated with running, and I think the best answer is that for lots of people it's great exercise, and for some people it's not great.
If OP wants to minimize risk to their knees they should probably swim or cycle. Personally, I think that since they enjoy it, they should run until their body tells them otherwise.
posted by auto-correct at 1:07 AM on June 22, 2011 [1 favorite]
I think the number one thing is to get your running form checked out. It's possible to run for quite a long time with "bad" form, particularly if you are young, or you aren't running far or fast, but the problems tend to build up over time.
In my case for instance, I started to get problems with my knees because they were tracking inside my foot. I wasn't aware of it until I started to get the knee pain. Physio + exercise has sorted it out, but if you want to stay injury free, it's probably worth talking to a physio who knows about running and can watch you on a treadmill, and give you pointers where you maybe need to strengthen muscles that you're probably not even aware are contributing to the way you run.
posted by crocomancer at 4:26 AM on June 22, 2011 [1 favorite]
In my case for instance, I started to get problems with my knees because they were tracking inside my foot. I wasn't aware of it until I started to get the knee pain. Physio + exercise has sorted it out, but if you want to stay injury free, it's probably worth talking to a physio who knows about running and can watch you on a treadmill, and give you pointers where you maybe need to strengthen muscles that you're probably not even aware are contributing to the way you run.
posted by crocomancer at 4:26 AM on June 22, 2011 [1 favorite]
I use the elliptical trainer at the gym which is low-impact but when I do jog outside I run on the grass to save my knees.
posted by JJ86 at 7:31 AM on June 22, 2011
posted by JJ86 at 7:31 AM on June 22, 2011
More anecdata: my father jogged for years on a track (I'm sure he didn't replace his shoes often enough, though) and later had to have both hips replaced. His orthopedist, rightly or wrongly, blamed the hip problems on running. I don't know how much that's worth, if anything, but running is high impact, so be careful.
posted by WorkingMyWayHome at 11:55 AM on June 22, 2011
posted by WorkingMyWayHome at 11:55 AM on June 22, 2011
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From what I know (and people who know much more will come in and answer) jogging can be high-impact on your body, but it seems like there are a lot of ways around that and for most people, the benefits far outweigh the drawbacks. Just don't push yourself too hard at the start and deal with any pain as soon as it comes up and I think you'll be fine.
posted by queens86 at 4:04 PM on June 21, 2011