Treadmill walking on incline

Question
Hi Scott,
I have an older treadmill, which I try to use daily.  I'm thin and in good health.  Everytime I use the incline, my lower back hurts.  I've been to a chiropractor and doctor and there is nothing physically wrong. The interesting thing is that I can walk outside uphill without any pain.  Could I be walking incorrectly uphill on the treadmill?  Could it be the old treadmill?  Could it be the shoes?  Do I need to work through this and build strength?  Is it O.K. to just walk without using the incline?  Am I getting any benefits without using an incline?  Thanks for your input!!

Answer
You must be using a different posture on the treadmill than you do outside. On a treadmill, most people tend to bend over more to watch where they put their feet. So if you can walk more uprightly and naturally like you walk uphill outside, the back problem should improve.

You certainly can get benefits from walking without an incline. However, you can tone different muscles by working out up and down hills. Most treadmills can't simulate walking downhill, so there are advantages to going outside on real hills.

I agree that some careful back exercises could help with the problem as well. Check with some books or a personal trainer about which exercises are appropriate.

As long as your shoes are good quality running shoes and have less than 500 miles on them, you should be OK. A running specialty store can help put you in the right shoes for your personal mechanics.