Vigorous Exercise Helps the Knees

Hey Fellows,

Boy I'm glad I found this because you know...

non-runners are always worried about the knees of runners!

Now, there's an extensive study that's been done, that shows that people who do vigorous exercise have the healthiest cartilage. This means, knees, intervertabral disks (not sure if anything will prevent herniation, though), ankles, bones of the feet, etc.

So read on and tell those lazy-azz couch potatoes that you'll be walking a lot longer than they ever will:

http://www.healthday.com/Article.asp?AID=608596

Dave 

(kept my knees in shape with weekly runs at 280 lbs., usually off road on huge lumps of gravel - and we loved it!)

Interesting stuff.  I bet a lot of it has to do with having strength in all of the small leg stabalizer muscles, which helps prevent injury (like the MCL strain I got).  But I am dubious that the average former NFL linebacker has above-average knees, despite the fact they spent so many years intensely exercising, and at a low body fat.  I suspect it depends on the exercise type (with repeated small shocks being good, but occasional severe shocks being bad).

I think that only has to do with natural motion (running). Twisting the joints or actually exposing them to shock will, I imagine eventually destroy them.

I hear about a lot of injuries in those sports, courts sports and martial arts.

Not sure how much running knee injury, actually comes from going too far or too fast, when out of condition. I read once, that most running injuries come in the first 3 months, as a result of introducing speed training too soon.

Dave