Running is one of the most accessible and popular types of physical activity. But some start each morning with a jog, while others scare them with joint wear and early heart attacks. socialbites.ca learned what harm can be done and what is the benefit.
bones and joints
Novice runners fear that running will cause them to get osteoarthritis, and this fear seems quite plausible – running puts a shock load on the knees and other joints. Again last studyCovering more than 90,000 people, about 75,000 running,
running, on the contrary, significantly reduces the risk of developing osteoarthritis and the likelihood of hip replacement, apparently due to its associated lower body weight.
At the same time, other exercises increased the risk of this complication, but slightly – within 2.5-5%.
Another little work showedThe force acting on the knee joint while running is three times greater than when walking. But this is offset by the time the runner spends in the air and the stride length. Thus, the total load is approximately the same when walking and running for the same distance.
Also, running strengthens bones – bone tissue analysis Studies among marathoners, half-marathoners, sprinters, and non-athletes have shown that runners do indeed have significantly denser bones than sedentary people. Bone density is also affected by gender, age, and diet, but the difference persisted even after adjusting for these factors. At the same time, the runners’ preferred distance had practically no effect on the result.
At the same time, runners often encounter “runner’s knee” – deformation of the cartilage tissue of the patella or inflammation of the iliotibial tract, the largest tendon that runs from the ilium to the tibia. If the pain is localized inside the knee, then most likely, we are talking about the first option, if outside – about the second. In either case, however, you will need to stop running until the symptoms subside. And by strengthening the muscles of the legs, including the hips, and not forgetting to stretch for flexibility of the muscles and tendons, you can reduce the likelihood of their relapse.
“Most injuries happen because we don’t give the body time to adapt to the new demands,” says physiotherapist Helen O’Leary.
You have to give your body time to get stronger. You can certainly run without injury, you just need to know your limits. It is worth not only running, but also strength training. This will provide balance to the body in normal life.”
Heart
The effect of running on the circulatory system is a matter of controversy at times, and runners often die in the middle of a race. However, an analysis of the health and lifestyle of 55,000 people aged 18 to 100 showedWhat
Among runners, the premature death rate is 30% lower than non-runners, and deaths from heart disease are 45% lower. On average, runners lived three years longer. The pattern was not related to age, gender, body mass index, smoking and alcohol consumption.
Running, in particular, protects the cardiovascular system during chronic stress. Researchers from West Virginia University found that increased aortic stiffness as a result of stress puts more stress on the heart — and that running and possibly other aerobic exercise can normalize the condition of the aorta. Real, Experiment was done on rats, but the results are likely to apply to humans as well.
For those who don’t run, citing lack of time, Canadian scientists from McMaster University found a solution – It turns out that interval jogging workouts lasting less than 10 minutes total are almost as beneficial as cycling at moderate pace for almost an hour.
marathonsHowever, it can be a serious test for the body – the runner himself may not be aware of some violations, for example, a genetically determined thickening of the ventricular wall. A common cause of death during races It is possible coronary insufficiency – reduction or cessation of coronary blood flow and insufficient oxygen and nutrient supply in the myocardium.
Death at the finish line can happen because the adrenaline still causes the heart to contract actively, but too little blood is supplied to it. When running, the leg muscles help it “pump”, but after stopping all the load falls on the heart and it cannot withstand it.
Older runners are more likely weakens coronary artery disease. Young – ventricular tachycardia, heart rate 220-240 beats per minute – the condition can be returned to normal only in the first few minutes after its onset, then the lack of oxygen becomes critical and the heart practically does not pump blood.
An additional problem is that runners rarely report their heartache and other bothersome symptoms to their relatives and doctors. But even if a potential athlete’s heart is healthy, there is a risk of damaging his heart during running or other strenuous exercise: during strenuous exercise and competitions, the heart’s scar tissue forms due to frequent and excessive stretching of the ventricles, which disrupts the heart rhythm. normal operation. But it cannot be seen on the EKG – this requires a longer and more expensive magnetic resonance imaging.
When planning a long-distance race, it is better to first be examined by a cardiologist. However, despite high-profile cases, deaths in marathons are not that frequent – the probability of dying is less than 1 in 100 thousand and is highest in the last few kilometers, when the runner engages in the finishing move rather than maintaining the pace.
Brain
Research on rodents and other mammals, including humans, to showRunning gives pleasure by activating the brain’s reward system. This allows you to use running as an aid in combating stress and depression.
Also, running helps you remember better. As shown to work German neurologists from the Wilhelm University of Westphalia,
After the sprints, the volunteers were 20% better at memorizing words and had an increase in their blood in brain-derived neurotrophic factor and levels of catecholamines (dopamine, adrenaline, norepinephrine, epinephrine) that support the development of neurons. it was also associated with the ability to absorb new information.
This is consistent with findings from animal studies – running in rodents increases the production of new neurons in the hippocampus, the area of the brain responsible for memory.
“In rodents, voluntary wheel running leads to structural and functional changes in the hippocampus and cortex areas of the brain that are important for cognitive functions. In humans, physical activity improves memory and executive functions mediated by the prefrontal cortex and maintains gray and white matter volume throughout life. noted Researchers from the US National Institute on Aging.
According to this Research According to experts from the University of Tsukuba in Japan, running also increases blood flow to various areas of the prefrontal cortex, which are associated with mood control and executive functions such as planning and attention management. In experiments, this allowed volunteers to perform better on tasks that required these functions, such as the Stroop test, where the color of words didn’t match their meaning (the word “green” is spelled in yellow). Participants also reported that their mood improved.
“Given the degree of control required to coordinate balance, movement, and movement during running, it makes sense that there is increased neuronal activation in the prefrontal cortex and other functions in this region would benefit from this increase in brain resources.” scientists noted.
Other studies also show that running lowers blood pressure, lowers blood sugar, increases the sensitivity of cells to insulin, strengthens the walls of blood vessels, and reduces the risk of thrombosis, which leads to heart attacks and strokes. Running has many positive effects – the main thing is to approach training wisely, not to overload the body and not try to master the marathon distance from the first days.