Runners with arthritis may not need to hang up their shoes, study shows

People with hip or knee osteoarthritis may not need to abandon activities such as running or tennis solely because of concerns about joint replacement, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Essex.

The researchers analysed data from 17,661 people with knee or hip osteoarthritis in Denmark and found that those who participated in higher-impact physical activities had 36% to 48% lower odds of undergoing a total hip replacement within the following 12 months compared with people engaging in less impactful exercise, The Independent reveals.

Higher-impact activity was not associated with increased odds of requiring a total knee replacement during the same period.

The study, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, challenges the common assumption that high-impact exercise necessarily worsens osteoarthritis or increases the likelihood of joint replacement.

The authors said their findings “challenge the assumption that high-impact activity is inherently harmful in osteoarthritis”.

They added that higher-impact physical activity “should not be routinely discouraged based on joint replacement risk alone”.

Dr Bernard Liew, who led the research, stressed that the findings should not be interpreted as a recommendation for everyone with osteoarthritis to take up running or other strenuous activities.

“The message is not that everyone with osteoarthritis should suddenly start running.

“It is that people should be supported to manage and adapt their exercise around their symptoms, abilities and goals, rather than assuming higher impact activity has to stop.”

Liew said people who are already active in sports such as running or tennis may not necessarily need to stop after receiving an osteoarthritis diagnosis.

“There will be times when people need a short period of rest or need to modify their training to manage a painful flare-up, but that is very different from giving up these activities altogether,” he said.

“There is a widespread perception that people with hip or knee osteoarthritis should automatically switch to low-impact exercise, such as walking or swimming.

“Our findings challenge that assumption.

“Stopping all high-impact exercise as a blanket recommendation could mean people lose the physical, mental and social benefits they get from being active.”

Researchers divided participants’ self-reported physical activity into low-, moderate- and high-intensity categories, as well as high-impact activities. The latter included jogging, tennis, skiing, acrobatics, ballet, heavy labour and backpacking.

The researchers cautioned that the findings demonstrate an association rather than proving that high-impact exercise directly reduces the need for joint replacement.

The study nevertheless suggests that exercise recommendations for people with osteoarthritis may need to become more individualised, taking symptoms, physical ability and personal goals into account rather than automatically ruling out higher-impact activities.

By Sabina Mammadli