Incline Treadmill Walking Benefits for Spinal Stenosis and Knee Arthritis

General Incline Treadmill Walking Benefits

Let's start out with just the general benefits of walking on an incline treadmill.

Weight Management Benefits

It burns calories and fat, and that helps with weight management.

The less weight you're carrying, the less compression there is on your knee joints and spine.

Additionally, when you walk on an incline treadmill, you burn more calories than if you were walking on a flat surface.

Likewise, there's less impact than if you were running, which also burns more calories However, running can be hard on your back and knees or on your back.

Cardiovascular Benefits

Walking on an incline treadmill is great for increasing your cardiovascular health.

It increases circulation which in turn promotes healing of your cartilage in your knees and the joints and nerves in your spine.

Walking on an incline outdoors is also great exercise. However, you can't walk uphill continuously outside. Whenever you go up, you're going to have to have a corresponding downhill.

Furthermore, if you walk too far away from home and your knees or back start hurting, you don't want to get stranded.

Conversely, walking on an incline treadmill allows you to have a continuous upslope. You can also stop whenever you need to.

Incline Treadmill Benefits for Knee Arthritis and Spinal Stenosis

Off-loading

Additionally, you can take pressure off your back or off your knees by unloading with your arms.  You can use either the side rails or on the front rails.

Glute Strengthening

Another advantage of using an incline treadmill is that it forces you to use your glutes more.

If you walk on the treadmill correctly, you should be pushing yourself uphill using your trail leg.

You shouldn't be pulling forward with your front leg.  Do in so uses more of your hamstrings rather than your glutes.

Forward Leaning When Walking On An Incline Treadmill Walking Benefits Spinal Stenosis

Additionally, when you push off using your glutes, it forces you to lean forward more.

This is a better position for people with spinal stenosis because it opens up the spaces where the nerves come out of your lower back.

That's one of the reasons why you often see people with spinal stenosis in the grocery store leaning over a grocery cart.

Doing so allows you to lean forward and open up the spaces in your lower back where the nerves come out.

So, it is okay to hold on when walking on an incline treadmill. In fact, it's good if it allows you to walk longer with less pain.

Use as little hand support as you're able to comfortably though. You'll burn more calories if you swing your arms. Furthermore, swinging your arms mimics your natural walking pattern better.

But again, keep safety and comfort in mind first.

Walking On An Incline Treadmill Benefits Knee Arthritis By Stretching The Calves

Another benefit of incline treadmill walking for people with knee arthritis, is that it forces you to stretch your calves.

If you've ever used a slant board to stretch your calves, you're basically walking on a slant board the entire time.

You stretch the gastrocnemiucs muscle of your back leg more when walking on an incline treadmill.

Additionally, you stretch the soleus of your front leg.

How High Of An Incline Should You Use When Walking On A Treadmill?

The incline varies from device to device, but an incline of 0 to 15 is about normal on most treadmills.

The treadmill in the video above was set a a "15" incline, but I measured it a 9.2 degrees above the horizontal.

So keep in mind that those slopes aren't precise. However, if you use the same treadmill every time, you can increase your incline as you feel comfortable.

For most people, an incline level of 3 to 5 is a good start.

Then you can progress up from there. The higher of an incline you use, the more difficult of a cardiovascular workout it will become. Additionally, you'll also burn more calories, and it'll force you to lean forward a little bit more.

Conclusion

As you can hopefully now see, incline treadmill walking is a great exercise for people with spinal stenosis and knee arthritis.

However, walking alone usually isn't a complete solution.

There are many different factors that contribute to back pain and knee pain.

Therefore, it's important to see a medical professional who can thoroughly explain what factors are contributing to your back or knee pain.

Need Help For Back or Knee Pain?

If you live in the St. Louis area and would like help from professionals who understand back and knee pain, we'd be happy to help you here at More 4 Life.

We'll take the time to discuss your problem with you and explain:

• What's causing your pain
• Why it started in the first place
• What you can do to relieve it
• How long it will take to feel better again

Just tap the button below to request an appointment with one of our specialists.

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