Treadmills and Hamstrings

sheldonklein

Last fall I started a C25K program and was thrilled by my progress. In November, i started running on a treadmill. I quickly started having hamstring problems which would not heal and which flared up when I used the treadmill at more than a flat walk, but I didn't want to leap to conclusions about cause and effect. Now, the snow has finally melted, so I ran outdoors for the first time in months. I ran longer and faster than I ever had, without hamstring pain. Do others have problems with running on treadmills only? Am I doing something wrong on the treadmill?

Azdak

I have not heard of any chronic hamstring problems associated with treadmill running, but it certainly is possible that you could be altering your stride when on the treadmill and could affect the hamstrings.

It could also be that you did too much too soon when you switched to the treadmill and suffered an acute injury that never recovered fully.

slp51

Running on a treadmill is nothing like running on a natural surface, so I'm told. During winner months, can you use an elliptical or stationary bike instead?