Quote Originally Posted by sparks19
OUCH....

But running is VERY hard on your knees. You don't realize until after it's too late just how much the impact tears them up.... that's not to say all runners end up with terrible knees.... but if your knees are bad it's likely running will aggravate them more.

If you are having a problem at your age, now is the time to start treating your knees with great care. Running on a treadmill instead of the hard surface will provide a bit less impact on those knees. I do believe that taking fish oil tablets has been of some benefit to me. When I used to come up my stairs from the basement (an enclosed stairwell) I could hear a gravely sound. I no longer hear that and I attribute the improvement to the fish oil I have been taking.

Be aware of the possibility that some medications you may be taking may make your joints more vulverable. I know this is antedotal evidence but when I try to take statins for my cholesterol, I get very painful joints. I actually thought I had injured my knee while exercising and had pain for 6 months. It was only when *the other knee* started having the same kind of pain (and I hadn't been able to exercise) that I explored the possible connection with the pain and my medication.