Walking or Running Doesn’t Hurt Your Knees – It Might Help!

If you’ve been avoiding walking or running because of knee pain or arthritis, here’s some good news: moving more might actually help your knees—not hurt them.

New research from 2025 shows that both walking and running can be safe—and even beneficial—for people with knee osteoarthritis (OA). One large study, in particular, offers strong evidence that regular walking can reduce pain and slow joint damage.

🚶 Walking: A Simple Step Toward Healthier Knees

One of the most important studies in 2025 on knee OA came from a team of researchers publishing in the Annals of Internal Medicine. They followed over 1,200 adults aged 50 and older who had signs of knee OA but no frequent knee pain at the start.

📌 Key findings from this large study:

• People who walked regularly (defined as at least 10 minutes, 5 times a week) had a 40% lower chance of developing new frequent knee pain over four years.
• They were also 20% less likely to show joint space narrowing—a sign of cartilage wear in the knee.

👉 In short: walking regularly lowered both the chance of knee pain and the risk of arthritis getting worse.

Even light walking, spread throughout the day, helped. This means your daily routine—like walking to the store or around your home—can actually protect your knees if done consistently.

🏃 Running: Not as Risky as You Think

Think running will wear out your knees? Think again.

Recent studies show that recreational runners—those who run for general fitness, not competition—have fewer cases of knee OA than those who are sedentary. Running strengthens the muscles around the knees and keeps joints moving smoothly.

In fact, a 2025 study found that non-runners had a higher risk of progressing to severe OA and needing knee replacement than runners.

And most runners with mild OA in the study said their knees felt better when they stayed active, rather than when they stopped.

✅ A Few Tips Before You Start

• Talk to your doctor if you have knee issues before beginning a new activity.
• Start slowly—begin with short walks and build up to longer sessions.
• Pay attention to pain—mild soreness is okay, but sharp or lasting pain is not.
• Add strength training for your legs to better support the knee joint.

👍 Final Thought

If you’ve been worried that walking or running will make your knee arthritis worse, you can breathe easier. The latest science says regular movement not only helps reduce pain but may also protect your joints from further damage.

So tie your laces, take it at your own pace, and step into better joint health.

📚 References

1. Lo GH, et al. Walking for exercise and the risk of symptomatic knee osteoarthritis. Annals of Internal Medicine, 2025. 
2. Al-Hajeili M, et al. Effects of moderate-intensity walking on knee biomechanics. Journal of Biomechanics, 2025. 
3. Alentorn-Geli E, et al. Recreational running and risk of knee OA: a systematic review. Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy, 2025.
4. Whittaker JL, et al. Perceptions of joint health among recreational runners with and without knee OA. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2025. BJSM