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Cycling is good for your knees, says study

Cycling and Knees - Level 0

Cycling keeps us healthy. It is good for our heart and mental health. Surprisingly, it is also good for our knees. A study says older cyclists have less knee pain. Researchers asked 2,600 people about their physical activity. They also took X-rays of the people's knees. The X-rays showed signs of knee problems.

A researcher was surprised by the research. She said cyclists were 21 per cent less likely to have knee problems. When we use our knees a lot, the joints wear out and become painful. Knee problems usually start when people are in their fifties. Cycling is a great way to stop us having problems with our knees.

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Cycling and Knees - Level 1

Cycling keeps us fit and healthy. It is good for our heart and our mental health. A surprising benefit of cycling is it is good for our knees. A new study says cyclists have less knee pain when they get older. Researchers looked at 2,600 people, with an average age of 64. They asked the people about their physical activity. They also took X-rays of the people's knees. The researchers checked the X-rays for signs of arthritis in the knees.

Researcher Dr Grace Lo was surprised by the research. She said cyclists were 21 per cent less likely to have a joint problem in their knees called osteoarthritis. This happens when we use our joints a lot. The joints wear out and become painful. Osteoarthritis usually starts when people are in their fifties. Dr Lo said cycling was a great way of stopping arthritis. A lot of research shows that cyclists are 20 per cent less likely to die too early.

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Cycling and Knees - Level 2

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Cycling keeps us fit and healthy. It is good for our heart and our mental health. It also keeps our weight down. A surprising benefit of getting on a bike is that it is good for our knees. A new study says cyclists have less knee pain when they get older. The study is from Baylor College of Medicine in the USA. Researchers surveyed 2,600 people, with an average age of 64. The people were asked about their levels of physical activity. They also had X-rays of their knees taken. Researchers looked at the X-rays for signs of arthritis in the knee joints.

Lead researcher Dr Grace Lo was surprised by the results of the research. She said cyclists were 21 per cent less likely to have signs of a joint problem called osteoarthritis. This is often called "wear-and-tear" arthritis. It happens when we use our joints a lot. The joint wears down and becomes painful. Arthritis is a very common disease. It usually starts when people are in their fifties. Dr Lo said cycling, "is a great preventative strategy for many things, including arthritis". A lot of research shows that cyclists are around 20 per cent less likely to die prematurely.

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Cycling and Knees - Level 3

Cycling is a great way to keep fit and healthy. It strengthens our heart, keeps our weight down, and is good for mental health. A little-known and (perhaps) surprising benefit of getting on a bike is that it is good for our knees. A new study says cyclists are less likely to experience knee pain later in life than people who do not ride bicycles. The study was conducted by a research team from Baylor College of Medicine in the USA. Researchers surveyed 2,600 men and women, with an average age of 64. The survey participants were asked about their levels of physical activity. They also had X-rays of their knees taken. This was to look for signs and levels of arthritis in their knee joints.

The lead researcher, Dr Grace Lo, said the results of the research were surprising. She said cyclists were 21 per cent less likely to have signs of osteoarthritis compared to those who did not have a history of cycling. She added: "I was surprised to see how very strong the benefit [of cycling] was." A lot of research shows that cyclists are around 20 per cent less likely to die prematurely. Dr Lo said cycling, "is a great preventative strategy for many things, including arthritis". Osteoarthritis is often called "wear-and-tear" arthritis. It's what happens when we use the cartilage in our joints a lot. The cartilage wears down and becomes painful. Arthritis most commonly affects the over-50s.

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