Karolyn: 54, 200 pounds, no cartilage in her knees, no exercise history. From the start, I told her hands off. Her gait was lopsided and awkward. Eventually, she was walking 4 mph at 5 percent incline, no hands, so proficiently, that I promoted her to walking backwards without holding on. But I started her at 1.5 mph. I stood on the machine with her, my feet on either side of the tread, and kept my hands up to steady her if necessary. I had Karolyn start out 10 steps at a time without holding on. Eventually, she was up to 2.5 mph for several minutes at a time. Forcing her legs and hips to work without hand support dramatically improved her ambulatory efficiency.
Cherise: 40-something, 100 pounds overweight. She reported that “one side” of her body was paralyzed from a car accident. I studied her rhythm as she clung to the machine. I told her to let go. She did and walked just fine. I told her not to give in to her challenge ever again.
Bob: early 40s, enormous upper-body strength, but frail, withered legs from a spinal injury. His gait was very unsteady, though he did not use a cane. I told him to let go. “Say what?!” he responded. I said, “Believe in yourself. You climb the stairs in this gym without help, and you load weights on barbells without help. You do not need help walking on a treadmill.” Bob let go and was delighted that he could handle a moving tread without losing his balance. By walking hands-free, he was stimulating nerves in his body to fire up. By holding on, he was merely maintaining his current condition.
Melissa: 29, peripheral vascular disease, 70 pounds overweight. PVD causes painful legs, but doctors recommend walking for PVD patients. At 2.5 mph, Melissa struggled with balance, but keep in mind that when you permit your body to struggle, it gets stronger, more competent. Over time, it required faster speeds to bring out Melissa’s struggling, i.e., she was improving. A mother of three, she did a lot of errand-running. Shopping centers do not have rails to hang onto. Holding onto the treadmill would have done nothing to make shopping easier for Melissa.
Evelyn: 60s, osteoarthritis in her feet. I told her not to hold on, so that she could mimic the very walking she had to do in the actual world. “Do not fake out your feet. Because if you do, they’ll be in for a nasty surprise when you one day find you must walk for extended periods in the city.”
Walkers Who Won’t Let Go of the Treadmill
I approached a woman who told me she had multiple sclerosis and refused to let go. Ironically, her pace off the treadmill was faster than it was on it, and she didn’t use a cane or walker. In fact, her natural gait, though slow, was balanced! By walking slower (or faster, for that matter) on the machine and holding on, she was performing below her baseline activity level. Performing sub-baseline will not get results. A popular argument is at least she’s doing “something.” But “something” often produces nothing. Use your time wisely if you want results.I approached a woman who was clutching the front bar at 15 percent incline, body tilted way back, tread close to 4 mph. “I have a bad low back!” she asserted. By grasping the bar, she was creating inertia for her back muscles. Instead, she should have been creating work for them—not at the strenuous level, but at the rehab level. A 3 mph walk at 5 percent grade minus holding on, would have triggered greater blood flow to her back; and would have activated a strengthening process in those muscles by forcing them to work!
I know a woman who has abominable posture and a loppy gait. Both knees are wrapped while she holds fast to the treadmill. She gets off the machine and her body is left in the same, warped gait that she acquires when clutching the machine. By failing to simulate a real-walking environment, she’s further harming her knees.
Stop Holding Onto the Treadmill
If it’s painful to walk on a treadmill, then stay off it until your injury heals. If it’s a permanent pain, then slow down, lower the angle (if any), and let go. Holding on will trick your body into thinking it can manage sustained walking (at your treadmill pace) in the everyday world. If you hold on at fast speeds, you’ll further fool your body into believing it can handle perky speeds. Be true to your body and release your hands.Next: How to Kick the Treadmill-Gripping Habit Last Updated: 11/20/05
