Treadmill Exercises Effects on Postural Control and Locomotor Skills

Walking or running on a treadmill consists of continuous repeated rhythmic and patterned movement.

By walking and running on a treadmill, we do not travel from one place to another for what is supposed to be the purpose of walking and running, but despite walking or running we always stay at the same place. And because of that fact, those physical activities like walking or running on a treadmill have no purpose.

Physical activities like running, swimming, etc. involve a continuous repeated rhythmic and patterned movement, but those activities have a purpose because we travel from one place to another.

While running and walking on a treadmill, we do not propel ourselves with the legs and feet but to a greater extent we are habitually maintaining the lifting motion of the legs and to some extent, we fall from one leg to the other on the moving belt.

Walking or running on a treadmill gives the musculoskeletal system a physical workout that makes the musculoskeletal system stronger and because of that fact, it makes them able to walk or run with more ease but only on the moving belt of a treadmill, which doesn’t make us able to walk or run with more ease on the real (stabile) ground.

The central nervous system and peripheral nervous system, together with the musculoskeletal system, have the function to support the body (body weight) and carry our body (bodyweight) on the real-stabile ground.

a) We acquire the ability to walk, run and jump by trying to walk, run and jump.

b) We master our walking, running and jumping skills by walking, running and jumping.

The ability to walk, run and jump enables us to carry our own body (body weight) from one place to the other.

A mastering of walking, running and jumping skills (walking, running and jumping ability and endurance) enables us to carry our own body (own body weight) from one place to the other with more ease.

a) By doing exercises on a treadmill, we improve our walking endurance but walking, running and jumping skills (locomotion skills) deteriorate).

b) Deterioration of walking, running and jumping skills leads to the deterioration of walking and running efficiency.

Walking, running and jumping is a musculoskeletal activitiy as well as a brain activity (the activity of the central nervous system and the activity of the peripheral nervous system).

By doing exercises on a treadmill, the musculoskeletal system, the cardiovascular system, the respiratory system and the peripheral nervous system are increasingly active and the central nervous system isn’t.

An increase in activity of the musculoskeletal system always causes an increase in the activity of the cardiovascular system and an increase in the activity of the respiratory system.

Exercises on a treadmill cause increased activity of musculoskeletal, respiratory and cardiovascular systems but while doing exercises on a stationary bike or treadmill, the central nervous system is under-active.

1. Human's normal walking and running pattern is heel-toe walking and heel-toe running.

2. The moving belt on the treadmill on which we are walking or running forces us to toe walking and toe running.

Prolonged time doing exercises on a treadmill will negatively affect our daily walking and running patterns at the same time as it negatively affects our motor skills and neurological health.

Strenuous exercises on a treadmill will increase the possibility of neurological damage (the more strenuous it is will increase the possibility of causing damage to the postural and locomotor skills).