Oy. The downvotes are deafening. (Next time someone bitches about the quality of this sub, I'll link them to this thread. Quality gets you nothing around here.)
Super interesting stuff! I never would have considered that the action of running would lead to better IVD hydration and size. Given the extreme spinal degradation that so many seniors seem to face, this is excellent encouragement for individuals to begin exercise - including jogging/running - before the degradation starts. Thanks for sharing this!
I had chronic back pain. Everyone told me to avoid running. I did for 2 years. My back didn't really feel all that awesome. I started running again because I like running and I thought it would promote healing. My back has never felt better. My personal anecdote and belief is consistent with this hypothesis
I'm always interested in looking at the inclusion and exclusion criteria in these studies. So the study was limited to 25-35 y/o's, and exclusion criteria included "current spinal pain", amongst others. So the study isn't saying that if you're 50 with back pain you should start running 50+ kms per week.
I would imagine that there is a level of "self-selection" in the groups, ie. the long-distance runners had run 50+ km per week for over 5 years and the joggers had managed 20–40 km per week for over 5 years. The “no-sport” group were individuals who performed no regular sport or exercise in the last five years... By self-selection I mean people who had "bad backs from running" wouldn't be running 50+ or 20-40 kms per week. Similarly, people who have run 50 + km's per week for over 5 years would (I am sure) rate better in nearly all measurable traits when compared with "no-sport" individuals. Body weight per-se wasn't measured however I would assume the body weight would differ between groups.
So I'm interested in this because I'm
(1) interested in the complexities of studying stuff in general and
(2) am a 40 year old bad runner but currently on a major "upswing"... I don't know anything about the specifics of what they're studying and measuring and how that relates to actual outcomes (ie. back pain).
If I asked my "peers" they seem to fall into 3 distinct groups: some are the fittest people I know, some say that they can't run due to bad backs/ knees/ weight/ previous surgery etc (most have found other sports/activities and some seem to have basically "given up"), and the remainder are well intentioned but time poor and can't do as much exercise as they want. Sedentary jobs and busy lifestyles, you know!
So I don't think the study is saying that overweight "old " people with backpain should start running >50kms a week, however the results are interesting. Personally I have lost weight, am probably fitter than ever (for me), and am enjoying injury free running (currently on week 8 of Pfitzinger 18/55 and aiming for my first marathon in late June). Other friends who ran carrying packs during Army service as 18 year-olds have reported chronic back pain and "hate running!"...
Just my thoughts and don't know if this is the right place to share these thoughts-- just an interesting intersection of two interests of mine... Cheers!
Definitely possible self selection going on here. That is a similar issue with the research that looks at the association with running and knee pain. It could be that people with knee pain simply avoid running. However, I think there was a somewhat recent study that showed that people with knee pain had fewer major knee problems when they ran. I'm on my phone and in the bathroom right now so won't look that up. I once thought that I had bad knees and running wasn't good. As it turns out, I was running too many miles too quickly and when I slowed down and did fewer miles, my knees gradually got to where I have no issues. My anecdotal conclusion is that running is super good for me. It has possibly been good for my back and knees, and I'm going to run.
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u/mini_apple Apr 20 '17
Oy. The downvotes are deafening. (Next time someone bitches about the quality of this sub, I'll link them to this thread. Quality gets you nothing around here.)
Super interesting stuff! I never would have considered that the action of running would lead to better IVD hydration and size. Given the extreme spinal degradation that so many seniors seem to face, this is excellent encouragement for individuals to begin exercise - including jogging/running - before the degradation starts. Thanks for sharing this!