Anyone else have a problem with treadmills hurting your joints?

[Savij]

I hate jogging but I'll admit it's a good for you. I've started using a treadmill regularly which I didn't ever use before since they're so boring. I try to finish off my runs will a faster paced 20 - 30 seconds. I didn't have a problem with this outdoors, but lately I've noticed my knees hurting and suspect it may be related to using the treadmill at a high speed and it messing with my legs when my body tries to slow down before the tread does.

For reference, I usually run a mile at between 6 and 7.5 mph on the treadmill and will sometimes finish the mile at between 8.5 and 9.5 mph for the last piece before I do a cool down walk. Anyone else have similar issues?

 

[Capt Caveman]

What type of footwear are you using to jog on the treadmill? How old are they?

 

[Savij]

Originally posted by: Capt Caveman
What type of footwear are you using to jog on the treadmill? How old are they?

New Balance something or another. They're decent running shoes but they're a few years old now. I don't think it's the shoes because I didn't have the same thing when I run outdoors.

 

[nismotigerwvu]

You should replace your running shoes every 500 miles or so. The arch support is more than likely worn to nothing.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Originally posted by: nismotigerwvu
You should replace your running shoes every 500 miles or so. The arch support is more than likely worn to nothing.

This may be true. Also, you need to check your form. Almost all distance runners that I've met have some form flaw or another. Check out POSE running or something of the sort. That will help with your aches, pains, and potential injuries.

 

[gramboh]

My vote is to work on your IT band flexibility. Google IT band for more info, but broadly speaking the fascia (I think) that connects down from your hip to your knee will become overly tight if suddenly start running a lot. This will manifest in knee and shin splint type pain. This problem happened to me (running outside) and the remedy was to stretch my IT bands with a foam roller. After a month or so of doing that (in addition to weight lifting and running) the pain went away, to the point that I feel no pain/recovery issues at distances of 10-15km.

 

[brikis98]

The previous answers cover most of the important topics (shoes, form, injuries) but I figured I'd toss in one more possibility: it's possible you are using a crappy or even broken treadmill. Usually, the quality of a treadmill becomes very apparent at higher speeds, which might be what you are seeing. It's possible cushioning/dampening doesn't work well when you go faster, so your knees absorb way more impact, which they aren't used to. I've also personally had a bad experience with a treadmill that turned out to be broken: at lower speeds it worked fine, but if you went over 8mph, the belt would not stay stay properly "taught". That is, on the occasional step the belt would seem to slide forward and would put the knee in a compromising position. Not fun.

Try to find some other treadmills and see if you have the same issue on them. If not, it's time to change treadmills. If so, then listen to the advice above.