Should I worry about running damaging my knees?

Who knows how many people have convinced themselves to stay on the couch by believing that it's better for their knees.

I know that this not related to the knees and it's just from personal experience but, running actually reduced my sciatic pain. Especially when I started my training to the point where I'm almost cured now. Kudos to my physicist who helped me to get back on my feet and teach me what to do to maintain a physical activity despite the pain.

You should worry, but not to extent that it would keep you from running completely.

You need to learn proper running style/technique, find shoes that work for you, and most importantly, pace yourself, depending on your fitness and weight. Don't overdo it.

It's worth it to find a good trainer in your area and start under a professional guidance - if only for a first few months.

I seem to remember using this as an excuse for years. I can’t run I’ve got bad knees. Turns out running had actually been quite good at rebuilding strength and haven’t had many problems in the last 2 years! I did start at 56 years old and have lost 30kgs in the process so that might have helped!

Had ACL surgery 10 years ago. Running has reduced the load on my knee so much that I can’t even tell I had surgery on it.