Is running while overweight bad for your knees?

Question

This one has been bothering me for quite a while. I've heard different opinions on this, ranging from

There is absolutelty nothing to worry about, running is great for you!

to

You definitely shouldn't be running while overweight.

And since I'm asking this about myself, a few specs: I'm 195cm(6' 4"), about 124kg(275 pounds), and have been moderately active in the past.

In a nutshell: If I start running now, will it be detrimental to my knees, even if there is only discomfort, not something I would really call pain?

Answer 1

When you're walking you apply about 1.2 times your body weight to the ground in Newtons (Fz = 1500N in your case). When you start running, this rapidly increases to two times or more. Furthermore, when you're walking you have bipedal phases, which means your body weight is carried by both legs. But jogging is characterized by going from bipedal to unipedal, so all the force is being applied to the one leg and thus one knee.

You're perfectly capable of walking, so what you are looking for is a speed at which the forces on your knees are higher than during walking, but not as high as during running.

What's also important is to reduce the moment arm your bodies center of mass has towards your knee. Because the muscles around your knee have to stabilize the joint, the further you put your foot (and thus knee) away from your center of mass, the larger forces they will exert on your knee.

Now the single most common injury in runners is a jumpers knee or patellofemoral pain syndrome. You can bet that the tendons connected to your patella won't like the strains when you start to run faster.

So we want two things: lower speeds and shorter steps. Luckily, with shorter steps and the same step frequency, you automagically get... lower speeds! Now how do we know we're actually doing this?

Well one great way is to listen to your body or in other words: talk to yourself, out loud! If you're able to talk normally, you're walking at the right speed. Because as soon as you start speeding up, the words... don't... come... out... steady... anymore... You get what I mean? I can't check it with a heart rate monitor, but I'd bet it would be around 60% of your maximal heart rate, which is ideally for burning fat.

If you're more serious about it, you can get a heart rate monitor yourself and an accelerometer (like a step counter only fancier) and keep track of yourself, but really nothing beats listening to your yourself.

Answer 2

Being overweight in general is bad for your knees. Stressing that and adding the intense of shock of running to the already overweight state is just asking for trouble. The amount you are overweight definitely has some to do with this as well, as 5 extra pounds is obviously going to be less damaging than 50. I would seriously consider starting with a brisk walk instead until you are down to a more manageable weight.

Answer 3

Running long distances as a newbie (even when not overweight) will put stress on your knees. Issues such as correct footwear and running form will affect this. You need to consider what your goals are.

If you're only considering running to lose weight, then you might want to consider other options (such as focusing on your diet (80% of the battle) and walking to begin with whilst completing bodyweight exercises).

Running long distances needs to be built up gradually.

Answer 4

I started running at about that sort of "build"- it certainly is something to be careful about, and I did injure myself a few times but never ended up doing anything really bad to myself (at least, as far as I know).

Being tall and being overweight both mean you have to take "build up slowly but surely", so if you're both tall and overweight then it goes double! Don't run if your knees are already aching, or you're limping. If you have to take ibuprofen just to sleep- ease off. Get proper running shoes.

Answer 5

Non technical answer: Yes it's bad for your knees, but everything in life is finite. What's worse is the damage your doing to the rest of your body by being overweight. Running is the quickest way to burn calories. Combined with a small caloric deficit diet and you have the ingredients for losing weight.

Will you have bad knees when your eighty? Maybe who knows. Will you even get to eighty if your overweight... unlikely...

Answer 6

I don't think it's bad for you if you start off small and work yourself up to longer distances. While you gradually do that, your body will become used to it and hopefully you will also be losing weight gradually as well.

Answer 7

Experience suggests that firstly assess own condition, not just weight but all medical factors that, like a car engine, can gauge capacity. Then at a level apt for your physical state start running small distances on grassy hills for say 400m to one mile. Record how you feel and time taken. Initially every 3rd day will give your body time to adjust / recover as the most important thing for you now is to start a regime that is sustainable. Pointless gunning it early and getting tired/injured and give up. Think a year to graduate from 400m to 3 miles or further running around a park. Incorporate other easy body exercise with light weights.

We are competitive so try to make sure the first 25% of the run is a canter, do not get carried away with the hype at the start, else you will suffer dearly for half the race,run, event and aim to find a steady state, ie revs where you are very comfortable at a certain pace and never up the pace....have the same revs for the duration. If you run up a hill do not try harder, but keep same revs and slow down with smaller steps.

By keeping a diary after a year you will have a very good overview of where you are at different levels of fitness and know your body and how much it can handle without tendons et al getting sore/strained. A fit fat person is healthier than a sedentary fat person. The body was created to adjust to the demands we put on it so work with the body and not crunch impatiently through the gears for ego sake. The principal aim is to be active for ever more, even into your 80's....a way of life.

You can assist this with impromptu exercise by walking to the shops, cafe, work social sporting venues etc in addition to fitness sessions.

A way of life and do not be affected by small weight variations, as in society, it is what you are and what you do above what you look like or a measurement.

I am 96k and 6ft and 68 and run 5k weekly at "Park Run". Look up this world wide organisation jogging events held in most areas.

By running at 25% of my inate ability I am always comfortable in the run and never ever sprint...why bother to save a second if that sudden burst damages something. I often have minor niggles and recover within a day and train 2 or 3 times a week at honest plod pace where I am huffing and puffing for 10 to 20 and build up to 30 minutes around a hilly park. I know my engine can run xyz for 5k but my wheels will fall off if I tried, my young race days are over, it is now a more asthetic exercise in a challenge to keep sound such a burdened Lancaster Bomber going to get back across the channel each time I run.

Good luck and listen to your body....