Is Trail Running Better for the Knees?

Running has a reputation as a sport that's hard on your knees. While in some cases running gets a bad rap when it comes to knee pain, it's true that running on a softer surface can place less stress on your knees than running on a hard surface, according to the University of California San Francisco. Trails, while softer than concrete or asphalt, can present other challenges that can impact your knees, such as uneven surfaces that trip you up.

  1. Running and Your Knees

    • Knees suffer from wear and tear over the years even if you never lace on a single pair of running shoes or rarely move further than from the couch to the kitchen. But activities like running, which increase the mechanical forces on your knee, can worsen the damage your knees sustain over time no matter what type of surface you run on. Every stride brings the force of 4 pounds of pressure for every pound of your body weight down on your knees when you run, reports Dr. Jon Schriner of Michigan State University.

    The Impact of Impact

    • The way you run can make a difference on the impact on your knees. A long stride, with more air time, puts more pressure on your knees when you land. Landing on your heel rather than on your midfoot or forefoot can also increase the impact on your knees. When you run on trails rather than concrete or asphalt, the uneven surface, obstacles and lack of a straight path all change the way you run and lessen the impact on your knees.

    Trail Benefits

    • Because you sink slightly into the trail surface as you run, the trail absorbs some of the impact of hitting the ground, putting less on your knees. Running on trails will cut your speed and force you to shorten your stride, which also decreases the impact on your knees. Trail running strengthens the ancillary muscle groups in the leg that don't get the same type of workout when you run a straight course, Max King explains in a June 2010 "Running Times" article. Because trails don't offer a uniform surface, you vary your stride, training different groups of muscles and distributing forces more evenly throughout your legs, according to an August 2012 " Chattanooga Times Free Press" article.

    Trail Drawbacks

    • Depending on what kind of trail you run on, a trail can provide an uneven surface with plenty of obstacles to trip you up or cause knee pain as you constantly change your gait to adapt to the surface. A forest trail can contain fallen branches, potholes, ruts or rocks to impede your progress or to jar your knees as you either change direction abruptly, jump over them or land hard in them.