Most people don’t expect to start a run at the gym and finish it in the hospital. But in 2019, American emergency rooms treated an estimated 22,500 treadmill-related injuries, 2,000 of which were to children under the age of eight, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).
A No matter what you need to improve in your running life gym treadmill with head trauma Peloton’s Tread+ treadmill has brought attention to the risk of using exercise equipment—especially at home with small children. On May 5, 2021, the CPSC and Peloton announced recalls of both the Tread+ and Tread treadmills, after one death and over 70 reports of adults, children, pets, and/or objects being pulled under the rear of the treadmill.
And it’s not just children at home who are at risk. Back in 2015, David Goldberg, 47, the chief executive officer of SurveyMonkey and husband of Sheryl Sanberg, chief operating officer of Facebook, was found lying by a gym treadmill with head trauma that resulted in his death.
Though deaths may dominate the headlines when they occur, the CPSC says only 17 deaths associated with the use of treadmills have been reported between 2018 and 2020, according to NBC news.
The reports don’t specify the types of trauma or how they happen. Fitness, sports, and recreation safety expert Laura Miele-Pascoe, Ph.D., who testifies in court cases about these injuries, says many occur when runners fall and sustain burns, shoulder injuries, or head trauma. Fortunately, both runners at home and fitness facilities can take steps to prevent falls and other accidents, as well as minimize the risk of serious injury if they do occur, she and other experts say. Here’s how.
Laura Miele-Pascoe, Ph.D, find it with Runner’s World+!
Minimize distractions
Fill your water bottle, fine-tune your playlist, and double-check your shoelaces before you begin your workout. As you’re starting up and increasing your speed, focus on the task at hand rather than looking at the TV, the touchscreen, or checking out the speed of the person next to you in a gym setting. Once you’re off and running, avoid the urge to multitask, Miele-Pascoe says. Don’t check your email, send texts, or take phone calls.
Keep children away
As mentioned earlier, some of the most tragic treadmill injuries occur not among runners, but among kids who get on or near the equipment. If you have a home treadmill, keep in it a room where you can lock the door or otherwise prevent children from accessing it without supervision, says Tina Beebe, a running coach and former marketing manager at Club Industry, a publication and trade show for fitness facilities.
Start off right
To mount a treadmill properly, use the handrails to balance while you step onto the sides, straddling the belt. Step onto the belt before pressing “start.” Increase your pace gradually, because “speed may sneak up on you,” Miele-Pascoe says, and you risk flying off or face-planting if you can’t keep up. This goes double if you’re on an unfamiliar treadmill, says John Henwood, a running coach and founder/CEO of TheRUN, a now-defunct treadmill studio in New York City. Do an easy warmup to familiarize yourself with the way the machine operates rather than jumping immediately into a tempo run or speed workout, Henwood says.
Use the safety features
All treadmills come equipped with a safety key you can clip to your clothing. If you do slip, the key pulls out and immediately stops the belt. Use it rather than leaving it twisted around the handrail or hanging down the side. Make use of the “stop” or “pause” buttons to halt the machine if you need to hop off mid-workout, Miele-Pascoe says. You’re much more likely to lose your footing when stepping back on a moving belt. And if you step away from the machine while it’s running, another runner (or child) may step on without realizing the belt is moving—a recipe for disaster.
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Check your clearance
Fitness facilities must allow 48 inches, or four feet, of clear space behind a treadmill in case a user falls off, Miele-Pascoe says. That’s a good guideline to follow with home treadmills, too. Hard concrete or cement flooring could increase your risk for a major injury if you do fall. Consider rubber matting or thin carpet that cushions the blow without interfering with the calibration or balance of the machine, she advises.
Stay in control
You can run a solid speed workout on a treadmill. After all, that’s the whole premise of treadmill-focused fitness studios. But sprinting too hard can increase your risk of injury, Henwood notes. Use the rate of perceived exertion scale, where zero is standing still and 10 is an all-out sprint, and try not to exceed nine out of 10.
Educate yourself
If you have a home treadmill, read the manual, Miele-Pascoe says. Follow manufacturer’s directions on how to set up and operate the machine, as well as how often to clean it or schedule service checks. If you’re at a new gym and have questions about how to use the equipment, speak up and ask. And if you see anything that concerns you—say, a frayed wire or inappropriate use—report it to facility managers, Beebe says.
Cindy is a freelance health and fitness writer, author, and podcaster who’s contributed regularly to Runner’s World since 2013. She’s the coauthor of both Breakthrough Women’s Running: Dream Big and Train Smart and Rebound: Train Your Mind to Bounce Back Stronger from Sports Injuries, a book about the psychology of sports injury from Bloomsbury Sport. Cindy specializes in covering injury prevention and recovery, everyday athletes accomplishing extraordinary things, and the active community in her beloved Chicago, where winter forges deep bonds between those brave enough to train through it.
