Treadmill vs Street Running?

[alaypool]

Living in San Jose makes running outside difficult during a certain season, but whenever I try to run on a treadmill I get terrible pain in my knees and shins. On the street, I'm fine, however. I was wondering if anyone had any ideas or tips for making the treadmill work for me?
*snip*

[melzas]

Honestly, running is horrible for your knees, treadmill or not. If running on treadmill gives you knee pains, it's just a matter of time until you start getting them from running on streets too. Many athletes say you should either power walk, or sprint, jogging/anything in between is just bad for your knees.

I'd suggest giving up treadmill altogether and using something else if you're looking to burn calories - rowing, cycling and so on (especially if you are overweight).

[Biomega]

I'm a very big guy (6'11", 300lbs) and my doctor also told me not to do running because of potential problems with my knees. They recommended I do either cycling or swimming. Apparently when it comes to cardio exercise you want to get the heartbeat up without undue stress on other body parts - especially your joints.

Not an expert myself, of course. I'm just relaying what I was told by someone who had all my data in front of them. YMMV, and it might be good to consult actual specialists yourself.

[Afrospinach]

Honestly, running is horrible for your knees, treadmill or not. If running on treadmill gives you knee pains, it's just a matter of time until you start getting them from running on streets too. Many athletes say you should either power walk, or sprint, jogging/anything in between is just bad for your knees.

I'd suggest giving up treadmill altogether and using something else if you're looking to burn calories - rowing, cycling and so on (especially if you are overweight).

The idea that running is bad for your knees is not true. If you are getting pains it goes without saying but...

Impact sports help both your bone density and your joints. There was this study on a bunch of old people and the exercise was jumping up and down. The jumping up and down group increased their bone density by something like 3% in just one month. If you are overweight you do have to be careful with this stuff true, x2 if you are not a runner previously. Just for the record your bone density naturally peaks in your late 20s.

OP: The fact that you have pain in your knees saying you need to be cautious taking anyone's advice on anything but shins are probably muscular. You would think walking around in Africa would make you a super omnivorous ambulatory acrobat amenable to all types of surfaces but no. When I visited London a while ago, well you walk, a lot. Walking on the pavement all day was really painful. Maybe you are experiencing something similar.

Recently I got pretty sick with some mystery illness and was all but bed ridden for 4 months or so. Then for about a year and a half I have not really been able to do any intense exercise since then so it is all walking. My previous weapon of choice was rowing and that does not seem to help with upright activities all that much. Anyhow, as I have tried to ramp up the intensity of all this I have been getting those "London pains", which almost feel like over exertion but all the damned time. I just happened on this on a cycling forum, but they suggested foam rollers. I really can't believe they work, but it seems like it has been a permanent fix for the muscular pains I was getting in my shins trying to walk fast.

Maybe this can help you, and maybe your knees are a result from that. The pain for me vanished very fast with the roller, within a week. I personally find exercise machines to be prone to this type of thing as they always seem to force you to do a type of motion that maybe you just quite don't want to do. I usually stick to free weights, rubber bands and the rowing machine myself. It is possible that you are just running differently on the treadmill because of the situation of being on a treadmill and it is giving you some kind of mild RSI.

Just another little personal anecdote related to walking. When I went to buy some new shoes recently they had this camera system to check your gait. I turns out that one of my ankles is at a slight angle while walking and just seeing that made me want to correct it. I was unable to walk normally for like a month just because of that knowledge. I am not sure if it is happening now as I have been completely unaware that it was even happening in the first place but just having that idea of trying to keep it straight gave me some pains for some time.

[justandulas]

Living in San Jose makes running outside difficult during a certain season, but whenever I try to run on a treadmill I get terrible pain in my knees and shins. On the street, I'm fine, however. I was wondering if anyone had any ideas or tips for making the treadmill work for me?
https://fitnessgeko.com/fitness/trea...admill-review/

Imho treadmill is better but neither are good for your knees and joints. Best thing is a a home recumbent bike that you can work out on without hurting joints too bad or risking the dangers of running in the outside world full of dumb reckless people.

Joggers die every day due to some other drivers negligence and stupidity. Don’t be one of them

[Grimbold21]

Should probably add that most people also don't know how to run properly.

[StillMcfuu]

Living in San Jose makes running outside difficult during a certain season, but whenever I try to run on a treadmill I get terrible pain in my knees and shins. On the street, I'm fine, however. I was wondering if anyone had any ideas or tips for making the treadmill work for me?
[]

Sounds more like a running form issue. I avoid running on treadmills because it forces me to chop my stride.
My best advice would be to experiment with changes in strides over short distances on the mill until you find something that works. What helped me the most was exaggerating my knee drive and striking closer to the front of my foot, vs the ball in the real world.

Also treadmill running really doesn't replicate real world running, and I suggest avoiding a lot of mill running. My biggest issues are you lose leg drive, because the mill is moving you don't need to push yourself forward, that's being done for you. Also distances are way out of whack, for a workload and pace that would get me an easy 6-7 minute pace in the real world, I'll only cover .85 of a mile.

Keep it limited, run for a specific time, not distance, and if you are getting a little uncomfortable, lower the pace and cooldown/ get off the mill and come back a day or 2 later.

[unbound]

Living in San Jose makes running outside difficult during a certain season, but whenever I try to run on a treadmill I get terrible pain in my knees and shins. On the street, I'm fine, however. I was wondering if anyone had any ideas or tips for making the treadmill work for me?
https://fitnessgeko.com/fitness/trea...admill-review/

The jury is actually still out as to whether running is good or bad for your knees overall.

In your case, you may want to dig deeper into the cause. If you aren't too old, maybe see if you are an excessive pronator (basically, if you foot is hitting the ground too flatly) or have hyperextending knees or something else of that nature (these can cause knee pain). Additionally, since you are experiencing this pain on your treadmill only, try setting the treadmill to a program with variable speed (don't just jog at a set speed for a long time). Heck, go see a doctor to verify there isn't something else happening.

If you are older, then you should probably follow the suggestion others have made which is to switch to cycling or rowing where you are taking pressure off your knees in general (you'll get plenty of pressure on your knees from walking around).

[wunksta]

I think modern shoes make people more prone to injury. Barefoot running is probably better overall
https://journals.lww.com/acsm-csmr/F...cations.9.aspx

[Kyphael]

I prefer running in a forest preserve or in the park surrounded by trees, not straight up on just sidewalks or on a treadmill smelling other people's sweat or my own.

[LindaValdez]

Although both options have advantages and disadvantages, the benefits of running on the street and running on a treadmill are similar as long as we consider and apply a range of criteria. One option and the others have fans and haters.

However, running on a treadmill requires less effort, not on the outside, on the asphalt. Running on a portable treadmill allows you to take a more constant speed and reduce fatigue because the terrain is not tilted. In addition, running in a closed place provides greater safety for runners, especially when practicing this sport in a big city. This way you can avoid cars, pedestrians, traffic lights and more. This will force you to be vigilant. Of course, you are likely to feel bored. As a direct result, fatigue may occur earlier than expected. For myself, I use treadmills more often.

[Tiwack]

I'd wager you have the common concern of miss-stepping and are overly controlling/concerned with how/where you put down your feet when running on the mill. Mills take some adaptation like everything else that's new in life. Equate it to the pavement along the street and try to learn to trust the belt. It can help focusing on a spot straight ahead of you in front of the machine that you're using. Run towards it and don't think much more of it. You can look forward to stepping off and walking/tapping there afterwards when finished if you feel the need to.

I find it easier to be vigilant about some thinking or entertainment while wheeling in a shop or basement than when you're outside. Then again you get to experience the people, weather or nature around you. They can assist and be meditative in their own right. I interchange it based on seasons and circumstances all the way down to where I'm at and what I've got of homework/shows and ebooks. Even if a city has a nearby park area it can easily get a bit much with a lot of traffic or when super wet/hot. If facilities are clean and well ventilated I often frequent them and enjoy the comforts to either turn off thinking and turn on the entertainment or get super focused about some pressing goal or hurdle relevant to my life that I need to figure out and overcome - all while forgetting others and my surroundings entering a meditative state accompanied by the rhythm of my strides - where i'm going.

[anakin57]

Try and find a trail or a park you can run on the grass at; both would give you a softer track to run on for your knees. As far as a treadmill versus the road though, I would think the treadmill is less impact.

[jackofwind]

Run on the treadmill at a slight incline, it can help reduce shin splint and knee pain. Something about reducing the distance of travel between your toe and heel strikes in your stride.

[MidnightReveries]

I'd suggest rowing over a treadmill, but that's just me. I also hit the crosstrainer a lot but i recently get some pain in my hips from it. But still rowing is my go to cardio machine, lost 5 kg's this last month on it.

[CodingNewbie]

I'd concur with this. Find something that will help burn those calories without destroying your knees.

[D2trophy]

For daily use, treadmill. less risk for injury, more comfortable, just listen to music, maybe look at TV while doing it.

[therealstegblob]

Should probably add that most people also don't know how to run properly.

Run with the best form you can all you want, you're still going to fuck up your hips and knees.

Running is seen as the like default classic entry level most common workout form but after doing it for awhile myself, fuck it. There's other ways you can do cardio without fucking yourself up. All of the people in their mid 20's/early 30's who complain about lasting joint pain and damage because they were big into cross country in high school, fuck that.

[Zelion]

if your knees hurt from running your kinematics and gait are shit. Learn to move correctly first.

[martygraham]

If anything running on the streets should be "worse" for your knees since some ground might be uneven. Perhaps a change of footwear or treadmill settings can do the trick (making it slant upwards, etc.)