Been a chiropractor in Brisbane and working from Fitness First Elizabeth Street I see a lot of people exercising on the gym treadmills. Treadmills have been a convenient alternative to walking or running outdoors and at this time of the year it is understandable why so many people use them. There are however a few injury concerns around logging too many hours on the treadmill.

Our natural gait requires a big posterior push off. This movement involves the use of the hamstring, glutes and lateral hip stabilisers. This way of walking or running maintains an upright torso, keeps the spine stable and provides and even load to the hips and pelvis. To achieve a big posterior push off we require the ground to be fixed… and this is where the concept of treadmills starts to come undone. The belt on the treadmill is not fixed, instead the belt moves in the direction you want your legs to be going. This means that we need a completely different way of walking when exercising on a treadmill.

When walking or running on a treadmill your body has to move to catch up to the belt rather than generating a strong posterior push off. Walking or running on a treadmill may look the same but the muscular activation required is entirely different.

The gait pattern when using a treadmill is hip flexor driven rather than glute driven and in this day and age where hip flexor issues are extremely common from our tech driven lifestyle adding extra stress through repetitive treadmill training is a recipe for disaster. Using the treadmill long term can lead to overworked knees, hips and lower backs which can lea to injury.

As a chiropractor in Brisbane I obviously believe that exercise and regular movement is important for everyone and if the only option available to you is a treadmill I think some movement is better than no movement. My concern is people who log multiple cardio sessions on the treadmills each week. If this sounds like you I would recommend getting outside and experience the benefits of a natural gait cycle.

Reference- Bowman, K. Don’t Juts Sit There; Your guide to creating a dynamic workstation, aligning your body, and becoming more energetic and productive at work. Pp. 22-24