Wheel Running Exacerbates Joint Damage after Meniscal Injury in Mice, but Does Not Alter Gait or Physical Activity Levels.

Purpose: Exercise and physical activity are recommended to reduce pain and improve joint function in patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA). However, exercise has dose effects, with excessive exercise accelerating OA development and sedentary behaviors also promoting OA development. Prior work evaluating exercise in preclinical models has typically used prescribed exercise regimens; however, in-cage voluntary wheel running creates opportunities to evaluate how OA progression affects self-selected physical activity levels.