A study to explore the fat/muscle differences between male and female recreational cyclists.

Physical activity is crucial in reducing progressive loss of muscle as part of the natural ageing process. Our aim with this study was to quantify the benefits of cycling in helping prevent muscle decline for this group, using magnetic resonance imaging.

With this study we wanted to test the idea that the amount of fat in your muscles can be a good indicator of muscle, hip and general health.. We compared different groups, ranging from the healthy and active to those who were inactive and suffering from hip pain.

By looking at a range of different measures, we’ve been able to set benchmarks for exactly how much fat to expect in the gluteal muscles of healthy individuals, and the critical levels that could indicate future problems such as hip disease or sarcopenia.

Muscle fat measurement has huge potential for helping us better understand joint and muscle health. But measuring each person is a slow job. In this study we tested an automated method that finally makes it viable to run clinical trials on a scale that can give meaningful results.

Our first study of the spine was based on the 2019 Richmond Marathon. We wanted to better understand the impact of long-distance running on runners’ lumbar spines, by assessing changes before and after their first marathon.

This study, based on the 2019 Richmond Marathon, was the first to focus on MRI of the hips of marathoners. 28 runners participated – all first-time marathoners in their 30s, with no known hip injuries.

This collaborative study analysed the hip joints of inactive non-runners, moderately active runners and highly active runners. Our findings suggest that regular distance running does not cause additional damage to runners’ hip joints.

Our second knee study looked at non-runners with no apparent symptoms of knee damage. We found evidence of knee abnormalities in more than 97% of the group.

This study, based on 2018 London Marathon runners, found that knee health continues to improve after a marathon, suggesting that running may help reduce the chance of osteoarthritis in the long term.

Our first knee study, based on the 2018 London Marathon, found evidence to suggest that training for and running a marathon rebuilds the health of middle-age knees, although it can also erode one vulnerable part of the knee if you’re not careful.