Comment Re:It's all about the shoes. (Score 1) 200
The doctors told him that pretty much anyone who jogged that much has to get new knees.
Running is a complex biomechanical activity. Most people I see running are not running with biomechanically-correct form. This probably stems from lack of knowledge of how to run correctly, lack of core strength to run correctly, shoes that do not fit their physiology and personal running form, etc., etc.
Since most people run with poor form, it's not a surprise that most people that jog require knee replacements.
Running, when done correctly, produces minimal stress on knee joints, even at 10+ mph.
Modern padded running shoes promote bad form, causing knee and other injuries, and prevent your feet from strengthening, causing planar fascitis and a few other maladies. Your foot is actually well constructed to run, but it can't do it's job wrapped in a ton of leather and foam.
I've had some success with minimalist running shoes (abrasion protection only, no padding, sole is about 1/8" thick)- it's important to enable your feet to strengthen. After a few weeks of walking around in thin shoes, I started running again and it felt like I had new feet- it was awesome.
I've been wearing Newtons for the past few years. I had tried running regularly in the past, but always quit after awhile because of knee/leg pain. The first few times it was from just trying to go too far too fast. One year I took it up slowly and was able to do a 5k, but my knees/legs were still sore. After that first 5k, I picked up a pair of Newtons to give them a shot. The first month of running in them was very awkward and caused soreness in whole different groups of muscles, but even on the first run with them I didn't feel it in my knees at all. Been running mostly pain free since then.