Although running can cause knee damage, recreational running does not cause osteoarthritis at any age and may even be protective, according to new research. People who don’t have osteoarthritis of the knee don’t need to stop running for fear of knee damage, said Dr. Lo from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, who also emphasized that the study’s results don’t apply to people who already have osteoarthritis of the knee. Previous studies have been limited to professional male runners, looking at the association between running and osteoarthritis of the knee. “To my knowledge, this is the first study to look at non-career recreational runners.” Dr. Lo said this in a press release at the 2014 American College of Rheumatology (ACR). There is always a concern that running is enough to cause osteoarthritis. the data from the study by Dr. Lo and others can reassure runners.” Dr. Richard, chair of the 2015 Moment Group, had this to say. Running can prevent the development of osteoarthritis, however Dr. Lo also said there may be selection bias in this study because most runners are trying to lose weight and generally have healthier diets than non-runners. Runners will generally be more physically fit. There is concern that running may cause knee impingement and cause osteoarthritis of the knee, but there is little data to support this view. This study is the first to address this issue in a large sample, and the results help us recognize that high-impact activities like running do not increase the incidence of osteoarthritis of the knee. Dr. McLean, who led the presentation, believes that this study is also a good start to address this issue.