Medscape reports on a new study that found that long distance runners are not at an increased risk of osteoarthritis.

"The results of this study are consistent with the experiences of many lifelong runners and observations of sports medicine professionals that osteoarthritis is not an inevitable consequence of distance running," said Brett G. Toresdahl, MD, sports medicine physician at HSS, who was not involved with the study.

Dr. Toresdahl emphasized that more research is necessary to understand whether running contributes to the risk of developing osteoarthritis. The participants in the study were current marathoners, he noted, so it is likely they have healthy joints that can tolerate running longer distances. “If there is a subset of people who have joints that are negatively affected by running, they wouldn't likely be registering for a marathon.”

Read the full article at medscape.com.