Running With Arthritic Knees

Can you run with knee arthritis? The good news is, living with arthritic knees doesn’t mean giving up running or an active lifestyle. With the right tips and strategies, you can effectively manage your pain, improve joint health, and continue enjoying the benefits of running.

Whether you’ve been running for years or just starting, this guide shares practical tips to safely navigate running with arthritis.

Keep reading to learn how you can make running more comfortable and beneficial for your knees and learn valuable techniques to support your overall joint health.

Can I Run With Knee Arthritis?

Yes! Here’s how you can do it safely, comfortably, and ensure the maximum benefits:

Start Slow & Listen to Your Body

Regardless of what kind of exercise you choose with arthritis, your goal should be avoiding injury and disease progression. If you’re running with arthritic knees, be sure to start slowly—choosing a mild pace and limited distance to allow your body to adapt gradually.

As your muscles grow stronger over time, you can increase both speed and duration—just be sure to monitor your knee pain.

When done properly, running should help relieve some knee pain and improve range of motion. The best way to ensure that’s the case is to support your runs with appropriate footwear.

Find the Right Footwear

Successfully running with arthritic knees largely depends on what you wear on your feet—that means when you’re running, exercising, or walking through the rest of your day.

Get rid of old, worn-out sneakers. Osteoarthritis runners should replace their footwear every 300-500 miles to ensure optimal support. Look for shoes with the following features:

• Cushioning: Cushioned insoles or memory foam footbeds can help reduce the impact of running on your knees. Thick, soft soles or gel air cushioning systems can also absorb shock and provide additional support.
• Stability features: Stability features like arch support and a deep heel cup help reduce impact, provide additional support, and keep your foot in a neutral position.
• Comfort: Running shoes should feel comfortable right away, without a breaking-in period. Always try your running shoes on in person, ask for fitting help from an in-store expert, and tell them you have osteoarthritis in your knee.

Aside from carefully selecting your running shoes, one of the keys to successful running with arthritis knee is engaging in cross training.

Cross Train to Build Muscle & Strengthen Joints

Cross training simply means to embrace several types of exercise. Here is a quick rundown of exercises that can be particularly beneficial for osteoarthritis runners:

• Strength training and weight bearing exercises
• These help to strengthen supporting muscles, in turn reducing pressure on your knee joints.
• Swimming or cycling
  Consider alternating runs with less intense workouts, like swimming or cycling. These will keep you active while giving your body a chance to recover from the higher impact of running.

Consider Lower Impact Cardio

For some, arthritis in the knee and running helps reduce symptom burden. For others, it can make things worse. If the latter sounds like you, consider alternating your runs with lower impact cardio, like cycling, swimming, walking, or an elliptical trainer.

• Cycling

Cycling is an excellent form of exercise if you have knee osteoarthritis. The movement helps lubricate your joints, reducing pain and improving your range of motion. But it’s important to carefully adjust your bicycle to reduce the chances of experiencing knee pain during exercise.

• Water aerobics
  If biking is not your favorite option, water aerobics are a great form of cardiovascular exercise. Water aerobics take all the pressure off tender knee joints, making it a comfortable exercise option for individuals who find running too painful.

If you’ve tried various exercises to strengthen your knee joints and reduce symptoms, but are still experiencing pain, the skilled physicians at Georgia Knee Institute can help.

Safe, Effective Treatments for Knee Arthritis at Georgia Knee Institute

Want to reduce the knee pain of osteoarthritis so that your favorite workouts are less challenging and more comfortable? Explore safe and effective knee osteoarthritis treatments at Georgia Knee Institute.

Our skilled physicians use genicular artery embolization (GAE) to prevent disease progression and reduce stiffness, pain and inflammation without surgery.

GAE targets inflammation in the joint lining, allowing you to delay or avoid knee replacement surgery.

Request a consultation with the Specialists at Georgia Knee Institute to learn if you’re a candidate for this minimally invasive procedure.