Wearing away of Knee Cartilage?

[Retro]

Was just thinking as and have a question for anyone kind enough to answer. =D
As we age, catilage is worn away which can be one cause of Arthritis and so on in later life. Doesn't jogging/running daily and so on speed this up and be doing us serious catilage harm? I assume the answer is no, but would like to know why and the difference in how the cartilage is worn away, but not through excersize?

Cheers

[threenorns]

jogging does horrible damage to knees, particularly if it's done on hard surfaces like pavement and/or without wearing proper shoes.

running is far easier on the knees because you're not slamming the impact down on your heels like you do with jogging.

[Retro]

Thanks for the reply, so it is activities like Jogging that wear away catilage and if so, those who jog often are likely to suffer problems in later life? At the gym I tend to gym for a few minutes, then run fast before jogging to cool down. Is this doing me harm?

( while on the subject, surely push ups, squats etc all are causing long term damage? )

[sunmedicFL]

I do not intend to arrive at my grave in a well preserved, unused body. I'd prefer to slide in headfirst, worn out, haggard, with a margarita in one hand & a cigar in the other screaming, "WOO-HOO... WHAT A RIDE!!!!"

[threenorns]

ROFL!!!!!

retro: you worry too much. the body adapts - that's what it's designed to do: adapt to stress.

follow a sensible workout program, maintain good form, and you'll be just fine.

btw: my knees are shot because of the way i'm built. just normal, everyday walking grinds at the cartilege because i have something called "chondromalacia patellar" - means my kneecaps, instead of riding smoothly up and down the femoral groove like a streetcar on a rail, slam and bang all the way up and down like a luge on an olympic run. that's from two causes: very wide hips, which gives me a wide q-angle (the angle of the quadricep from hip to knee), and very loose connective tissues (means my kneecaps don't have the support they need). it's a common condition among women.

i have two options: i can sit here and piss and moan about my bad lot in life and end up in a wheelchair as i get too heavy for my knees to bear, or i can suck it up and do something about it. needless to say, i decided to do something about it: squats, deadlifts, leg press, SLDL, and glute-ham raises.

if joint health is very important to you, start taking a glucosamine/chondroitin/MSM compound. that will help rebuild and protect your cartilege.