Pushing yourself on treadmill will bring you to your knees

Pushing yourself on treadmill will bring you to your knees

Kanchan Seth was baffled each time she found herself clenching her jaws in pain while climbing a flight of stairs. In time, the 23-year-old fitness freak figured out that her 45 minute-long walk on the treadmill was the culprit for the recurring knee pains. Seth isn’t alone. Several orthopaedic surgeons in the city say many fitness freak residents who prefer to run only on treadmills are landing at their doors with knee problems. Experts have debunked the popular belief that spending half-an-hour or 45 minutes on the treadmill is the best alternative to taking a walk in the open. Dr Ameet Pispati, consultant orthopaedic surgeon at Jaslok Hospital, says, “We have been seeing an increasing number of youngsters coming with knee pains. Almost all of them were tied together by a common factor — they had spent a lot of time on the treadmill.” Knees are the largest and most complicated joints in the body, and support the entire body weight. “People with weak muscles around the knee are more prone to an injury while practising on the treadmill. A long workout on the machine has resulted in the softening and wearing out of the knee cap” explains Dr Pispati. With many urban professionals having desk jobs, a sedentary lifestyle and weight gain have become more of a given. Pushing oneself to over-exercise is likely to backfire. Dr Dilip Nadkarni, consultant orthopaedic knee surgeon at Lilavati Hospital, says, “Treadmills are not for beginners but for fit people. However, many people who are overweight use treadmills and thereby, injure their knee. Many people buy treadmill for their home thinking it is the easiest way to exercise.” Recalling one such case where not knowing one’s limits did harm, Dr Nadkarni says, “Recently, I had a 45-year-old patient who weighed 90kg. Without taking proper advice, he went for treadmill workouts and tried the inclination options, apart from increasing the speed. He ended up having to resort to a knee surgery.” Doctors suggest that people trying to lose weight should begin with cycling or swimming and should get a good pair of shoes if they are working out on a treadmill.