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A gentle jog could benefit the knees and hips and reduce the risk of the osteoarthritis, which affects millions of people in the UK.

There is currently no cure for the condition but sufferers can treat the condition with drugs - commonly non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and by changing certain lifestyle factors.

Previously, experts have suggested jogging could damage the major joints and recommend other exercises such as pilates.

A new study looked at more than 110,000 people across the world. It found 3.5 per cent of people who run for fun and to stay fit developed arthritis in the knees or hips.

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This, experts said was compared to 10.2 per cent of those who didn't do any running - and was true for both men and women.

However the researchers said people should be wary of doing too much - as training and running competitively increased the risk to 13.3 per cent.

Dr Eduard Alentorn-Geli, of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and orthopaedic surgeon said: "The principal finding in this study is that, in general, running is not associated with osteoarthritis.

"The novel finding in our investigation is the increased association between running and arthritis in competitive - but not in recreational - runners.

When a joint develops osteoarthritis, some of the cartilage covering the ends of the bones gradually roughens and becomes thin, and the bone underneath thickens.

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Running is not associated with osteoarthritis

According to Arthritis Research UK, over eight million people in the UK suffer from osteoarthritis - a condition perceived as only a disorder that affects the elderly.

Dr Alentorn-Gel and researchers from Spain, Sweden, and Canada pooled data from 17 studies involving a total of 114,829 people to evaluate the association of osteoarthritis with running.

The researchers compared the prevalence of the disease between runners and sedentary individuals who did not run.

Runners were considered 'competitive' if they were identified themselves as professional or elite athletes or participated in international competitions.

The researchers calculated the rate and odds ratio for osteoarthritis between runners at both competitive and recreational levels and people who did no exercise individuals.

They also looked at the location of arthritis in the hip or knee, gender and the years of exposure to running - less or more than 15 years.

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Dr Alentorn-Geli and his colleagues were not able to determine the amount of running that is safe for these joints.

The study was published in the Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy.

Olivia Belle from Arthritis Research UK has previously told Express.co.uk said: If you have joint pain or mild osteoarthritis you might not always feel much like exercising.

But keeping active is one of the best ways to manage the symptoms.

Regular, safe, simple and effective exercise has been proven to greatly reduce pain and stiffness in joints.

Its also important for your joints that you maintain a healthy weight for you, and exercising regularly will help you with that.

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Arthritis symptoms - gentle jogging could benefit knee and hip joints ... - Express.co.uk

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