Newsroom Hospital for Special Surgery

Running After 40: 7 Changes That Can Improve Strength, Recovery, and Running Performance, With Insights From HSS Expert

Fri, 14 Aug 2026 14:29:13 -0400

As women enter their 40s, changes in muscle mass, hormones, recovery, and energy levels can affect running performance.

A recent Runner's World article features seven adjustments that help optimize training at this age, including strength training, recovery, fueling, sleep, pelvic floor health, and mobility.

Jaclyn McKenna, MD, sports medicine physician at HSS, weighed in with her insights, emphasizing the importance of strength training, plyometrics, recovery, and maintaining a balanced approach to fitness as runners age.

Read the full article at runnersworld.com. A subscription is required to access.

Why Skipping Workouts in Winter Raises Your Risk of Injury in Spring

Thu, 04 Dec 2025 18:31:00 -0500

With winter on the way, motivation tends to hibernate: dark mornings, cold air and shorter days zap energy and inspiration. A 2022 survey in The Independent found that a fifth of adults see their exercise levels plunge by as much as 37% in winter, with most blaming the cold and lack of daylight.

That “hibernation effect” isn’t just bad for your mood—it can lead to injuries come springtime. Jaclyn McKenna, MD, sports medicine physician at HSS explained. “If you don’t move it, you lose it—and it happens faster than people expect.”

Winter inactivity isn’t a harmless pause. Deconditioning leaves muscles, tendons and joints unprepared for the sudden spring surge. Dr. McKenna commonly treats weekend warriors who leap back into tennis or running only to face strains, tendonitis or joint flare-ups. “Acute injuries often happen when you go from zero to 100,” she said.

Read the full article at mofflylifestylemedia.com.

How weighted vests became the uniform for middle-class suburbanites

Thu, 16 Oct 2025 18:17:11 -0400

In the workout world, it has undoubtedly been the year of the weighted vest. These once-specialized devices have taken a long, strange journey — from military boot camps to actors’ superhero movie training regimens to mall-walking moms and grandmas in the suburbs. As so many once-specialized things do in the social media age, they’ve escaped the containment of their original context.

Recent research has questioned whether weighted vests are truly an antidote to bone-density loss. Jaclyn McKenna, MD, sports medicine physician at HSS said it certainly could help: “By adding load, you burn more energy, recruit more muscle fibers, and place greater stress on your bones and joints. This can help slow bone loss and reduce fall risk as we age,” she explained. But the evidence for other touted benefits of weighted vests, she cautioned, like improved core strength and brain health, is limited.

Read the full article at washingtonpost.com.