Pain while on the treadmill?!
Question: I need to lose some weight, so I got a treadmill. I was thinking, "Oh, this will just be great!" Well, it's not. I have extreme pain in my feet, ankles, and shins while I'm on the treadmill. Does anyone else have this problem? What can I do about it? I stretch before my workout, so I don't know what the problem is. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!
Answers: I need to lose some weight, so I got a treadmill. I was thinking, "Oh, this will just be great!" Well, it's not. I have extreme pain in my feet, ankles, and shins while I'm on the treadmill. Does anyone else have this problem? What can I do about it? I stretch before my workout, so I don't know what the problem is. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!
the problem is that your muscles are too tight. without having you present to preform a few posture tests on you its hard to say exactly whats tightest. you are going to need to do much more intensive stretching and probably hit a lot more muscles than you suspect are the problem. its likely that the majority of muscles in your calves, hamstrings, quads, inner thigh, butt muscles as well as your hip flexors are tight. so, you are going to need to take a corrective flexibility approach which centers more around self myofacial release in addition to static stretches (which you've been doing already) to help release those muscles and make able to function properly and so that you can get full range of motion out of your joints which will reduce feelings of pain as you use your treadmill. please read up on how to do self myofacial release here: http://www.sport-fitness-advisor.com/sel... as well as buy yourself a foam roller which you can find at walmart or target or online at gofit.com.
after you've done a round of self myofacial release (rememebr to hold each tender spot for 30seconds) you will move on to a round of static stretching: http://exercise.about.com/cs/flexibility... and also hold all of these stretches for 30 seconds each. its going to take some time to correct these muscle imbalances you have so for now just do some powerwalking on the treadmill. in about 4-6 weeks try running again and see if the problem persists. if it does take another month with just walking and this stretching routine. whatever happens don't ever stop this stretching routine if you want to be pain free on the treadmill. don't ever run through the pain because with the muscle imbalances you have you would likely end up with really bad injuries at some point along the way which will leave you without the ability to move around for daily life activities as well as just exercising in general. if all else fails, see your doctor.
Had the same problem, you need to switch to a great elliptical machine!
Are you heavier? My husband is 100 lbs over weight and he is extremely sore within a few minutes of using the treadmill. He did invest in better shoes, purchased at our local running store (even though he doesn't run, they have better built shoes), and he uses the elliptical and bikes at the gym to keep weight off of his feet. Use the other equipment until you feel stronger and then try the treadmill again. Also, swimming is great exercise and will help relieve pain while giving you a great workout.