Two women that I’ve known for many years now inspired this post. Both run with Rheumatoid Arthritis and inspire me with how much they do, how they handle flare ups and are committed to feeling the best they can. Running with arthritis is doable, but requires some understanding of they body and some training tweaks.
Arthritis and other rheumatic conditions are a leading cause of work disability among US adults. In fact, over 58 million people in the US have been diagnosed with arthritis.
For most people this means pain and stiffness around the joints.
It may effect many joints or just those in certain areas, which is the most common issue known as osteoarthritis. This tends to be what people worry about when saying running is bad for your knees (again…it’s not).
Physical Therapist, Stuart Wilson of Elevate PT, reminds us that we can indeed help arthritis with movement and not just drugs. So don’t be afraid to learn more about how you use your body all day long, in addition to on the run.
Osteoarthritis in Runners
Osteoarthritis -OA is known for wear and tear. A joint that has been used repetitively to wear down cartilage and start effecting the bone.
Runners have NO HIGHER risk of knee osteoarthritis than non-runners.
BUT we do have mobility and health to keep us from…
