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There’s a nice article in today’s New York Times by Gretchen Reynolds, discussing recent research on knees, arthritis and vigorous exercise. In particular, there’s a new meta-analysis by Australian researchers that raises some interesting questions about the role of bone spurs — whether they might actually be a beneficial adaptation to the stress of exercise, rather than a sign of impending doom. (I blogged about this study here back in July.)
It’s definitely more complicated than “running ruins your knees” or, conversely, “running has no effect on your knees.” Physical activity has inevitable effects, and your body adapts to it — the question is whether this adaptation is good or bad. Worth a read.