By Matthew Hicks from NAB RunWest partner physiotherapists and injury management specialists, Sydney West Sports Medicine:
Whether 2020 marks your 30th, 40th, 50th or 60+ revolution around the sun, you are never too old to run. Did you know that people over the age of 40 are the fastest growing age group in running? At the New York City Marathon over the last 30 years, the percentage of runners over the age of 40 has significantly increased, whilst the percentage of runners below the age of 40 has decreased. That’s a lot of older knees pounding the pavement!
Unfortunately, fear of injury or the popular misconception that running causes arthritis scare many would be older runners off the footpaths. A recent study by Ponzio et al 2018 found that there was no correlation between marathon runner and knee arthritis. If anything, runners were less likely to develop knee arthritis than their general population counterparts.
The benefits of exercise, running included far outweigh the negatives. As we age, staying active has been shown to:
If you are someone of ANY age who is interested in running, you are never too old to start. Here are some helpful tips to get you to the starting line:
For more information contact Sydney West Sports Medicine on 02 98515959 or at swsm.com.au