Biking, Walking Best for New Knees

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Golf swings produced forces of 4.5 times body weight on the forward knee and 3.2 times body weight in the opposite knee, the researchers found.

D'Lima noted that the forces produced by the golf swing, however, occur in an instant, while the forces produced by jogging are constant. "I think golf should be OK," he said. "It's more of scientific interest."

There were some other surprises, D'Lima said. "We expected that walking on a treadmill, which is more controlled, would be better than biking [in terms of low impact to the knee]," the researcher noted. But biking actually won out, he said.

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Other details on the results:

• Biking generated the least force, producing impact of about 1.3 times the person's body weight.
• Treadmill walking was next best, producing forces of 2.05 the body weight.
• Walking on level ground generated forces of 2.6 times the body weight.
• Tennis produced forces of 3.1 to 3.8 times the body weight, with serving producing the highest impact.
• Jogging produced forces of 4.3 times body weight.

Modification of certain high-impact exercises could help, he said. For avid golfers, "it's possible you could modify your swing," D'Lima says. Golfers could get a high-tech evaluation of their swings, offered by many golf club makers, or ask their pro about modifying the swing to exert less force on their knee, D'Lima suggested.

However, for more strenuous high-impact pursuits such as jogging, people who've undergone knee replacement should make a permanent switch to another form of exercise, the expert said.

Dr. Daniel Oakes, a staff orthopedic surgeon at Santa Monica-UCLA & Orthopaedic Hospital in Santa Monica, Calif., said the study confirms advice he generally gives to his knee-replacement patients.

"We strongly dissuade [them from] jogging," he said. "I tell them activities that are OK are walking, biking, hiking, riding an exercise bike, riding an elliptical trainer and walking on the treadmill."

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