A new study is suggesting that running can help reduce knee pain over time. I am not sure how in depth this study is, but there is a quick synopsis in the NY Times.
According to this study, it would seem that the compression forces on the knee during running are safe since the cartilage in the knee is built well-enough to absorb a head on force. Runners work for the most part only in the sagittal plane - meaning they run straight ahead - so they basically put compressive - not multi-directional, or shear - force on the knee joint. There is very little lateral movement and almost no twisting of the knee or leg, unlike motion in ball-sport athletes.
It is of little surprise to me, then, to see the condition of the knees of elite soccer, football, and basketball players deteriorating over time. They are producing heavy Newtons of shear force on the knee joint, leading to irritated and perturbed muscules, tendons, and cartilage about that joint. I guess, since runners don't move laterally they don't have to deal with shearing forces, thus making distance running a safe way to exercise into old age.
WOD...
4 Rounds for time of:
60kg Snatch x 3
Sprint 50m
Pushups x 25
Sprint 50m
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