Woodway Curve Treadmill: Feedback, Questions, Rehab items

Triathlon Forum
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Some of you know that for the last year, I had a lot of problems walking due to some nerve compression and associated complications (stemming from 2011 crash at IM Switzerland and some bad stuff that happened last fall). Anyway, fast forward almost 1 year after spending the winter on crutches and the next 6 months hobbling with constant spasms on every step. I literally spent the entire summer just hanging out at home or at work with the highlight being watching the TdF and the Olympics, but generally not wanting to move at all.

OK after a recent procedure at the start of Sep, my walking got a bit better, but still quite problematic to the point that I really don’t want to go anywhere and just want to minimize the steps that I take to get around…every step is uncomfortable.

https://www.treadmilldoctor.com/images/2015-treadmills/2015_woodway_curve_treadmill.jpg

I had just finished a swim around 10 days ago, and was waiting for my sister who was longer in the change room and decided to try walking on this Woodway curve treadmill. Instantly it was like magic. I could walk on this thing with no spasms. My sister came up and I said, “I feel totally normal on this. I think the angles are forcing me into my proper gait. I think I could even break into a run”.

I noticed that this treadmill literally stops in a single stride if I don’t properly put weight on my bad left leg and actively engage the entire posterior chain that has been dormant for a year because every time I try to push off, I’d have an uncontrollable leg cramp to the point my entire body would lock up. Finally on the curve, I could break through that point in my stride! Something about the angles and the non motorized aspect where I have to accelerate the deck

I immediately noticed walking better on “hard ground” after this.

Next day I can back and started walking and before I knew it, I broke into a jog with my jeans on. No spasms, no discomfort. I walk-ran for a around 10 min. Next day, 10 min before swim, 15 min after…and I kept going each day and every day, my day to day walking got better too. It’s been like a virtuous cycle re discovering a normal walking gait again. Before I knew it, was jogging along at 5- 7mph. And being a typical triathete (keep in mind I have way too much fitness at the moment swimming 20-35K per week, so I realize that legs are not ready to cash the oxygen delivery that my cardio can provide)…but I could not resist and did some surges up at 7.5 to 9 mph.

OK the last 3 days, were the first time in a year that I felt I was doing a real run for a workout…not some balancing act to stay on top of my bad leg. So now I have several questions for those of you who have used this treadmill

I have seen some pictures online and I feel my gym has the front end set up too high. In other words, you can really “cheat” by just landing on the front and letting gravity do the work to accelerate the treadmill. It ends up being like a mouse spinning the wheel faster and faster by just running further up the circle if you know what I mean. At some point it does not seem like proper running. I would think that a less “uphill” front end would be more natural. What do you guys thinkI like how this thing literally almost stops if I don’t load my bad leg properly and push off with it, in a matter of 1 stride even from fast speeds. I watched some videos online on how they use this contraption for rehab. Some of that is awesomeI feel l am using my posterior chain more than on a regular treadmill. Maybe a bit like running uphill on dry ground. Did any of you feel thatI also feel for the same “effort” i am going ~ 1mph slower. It could just be because I literally have not run for an entire year, but my cardio is good and legs and core are strong from a lot of kick sets, water running and butterfly stroke (core). I read a few places online that the effort is “more” for the same pace, up to 30%. Sounds like a bit of a BS marketing claim, maybe 5-15% at best. Any feedback on thatRunning on this, I feel like I could literally run every day with very low injury risk. Much less so than a motorized treadmill. I can see how this is viewed as a good rehab tool, but I can see it as an excellent supplement to “on ground” running. I’d put it halfway in between “on ground” and “elliptical” in terms of pounding. But on this you are actually running. Elliptical is a funky activity that you don’t actually do in real life anywhere in a real sportThese things are crazy expensive. The cheapest price I saw was around $5500 for refurbished model. Yes, I already thought of buying one and I might just do it, if it allows me to ‘run’ whenever I want. If I can pay $5K for a bike I can pay $5K for the opportunity to “run” again (so if anyone has one for sale for cheap, you have a buyer here…)
Anyway, I wanted to share, but also get your feedback

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OK, just bumping this in case any of you have some feedback. I’ve been literally able to run on this every day after a year of not being able to walk or run normally.

Second thing, does anyone have any contacts at Woodway into the engineering design team on this hamster torture contraption. I have a number of questions from them as the resources on the web are a bit limited. It looks like the only people who use this at my gym are old people (I guess I am one at 50), and people who seem to have some limitations (that would be myself too). I am yet to see a ‘real runner’ on this (for example, myself a year ago, I tried it twice and just said screw it).

Dev

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I’m no expert, but I’ve been curious about the ones at my own gym. I normally see older people walking on them, or a guy that does all-out short sprints (but he bizarre workouts of all types on various machines). I tried it a few times as I was rehabbing a hamstring injury and researched a little, but I never saw much beyond Woodway’s marketing. They didn’t have fans, and they felt a little awkward to run on, so I went back to the normal treadmills. Lately, I’ve considered looking into them again, though, so I’ll bump your post and give my 2 cents

…I feel l am using my posterior chain more than on a regular treadmill. Maybe a bit like running uphill on dry ground. Did any of you feel that - It definitely felt like an awkward, uphill run. I’m unsure if that’s my own imbalances or a function of the design. I think that it is supposed to be simulating uphill running and "properly engaging your core & glutes"I also feel for the same “effort” i am going ~ 1mph slower. It could just be because I literally have not run for an entire year, but my cardio is good and legs and core are strong from a lot of kick sets, water running and butterfly stroke (core). I read a few places online that the effort is “more” for the same pace, up to 30%. Sounds like a bit of a BS marketing claim, maybe 5-15% at best. Any feedback on that - I’m unsure the percentages, but it definitely seems harder to run the same pace if I move over from the normal treadmill to the Curve…

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Your observation of the other guy doing sprints on them, makes sense. This machine is ideal for exactly that. It seems “hard” for me to sustain a steady normal pace, but I believe, for ME part of that is rehabbing the bad leg. It literally stops if I don’t weigh that leg properly and then push off of it. Also on the “uphill” running part, my best descriptions is the front end of the stride feels like an uphill step, but once the foot passes the centerline of the body, it feels like the back half of the stride is on flat ground (which kind of corresponds to the shape of the contraption). I am still unsure if my gym has it set up on the “correct grade” (if you know what I mean) which is why I want to try to connect with some people at Woodway to understand what the right set up is.

In any case, I am highly encouraged. To go from literally a year of not being able to walk determinsitically without my body locking up, to some semblance of a fluid stride again while walking is a real gift. Let’s just say I am stoked to gain back some degree of independence and not always having to calculate how I can minimize the motion of going from point A to point B on my feet.

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We’ve got one in my company gym. I’ve tried it a few times and am not coodinated enough to make it feel natural. Fitness director says it’s good for sprints. I stick to the regular Woodways.

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Hi Dev

I use this treadmill in conjunction with Stair Master. For me 2 years ago at IMTX I developed a bad High Hamstring injury just below the Sit Bone and progressively got worse with running hills. I did do rehab as the PT person said I had an imbalance… ie issues with left Hamstring and right piriformis … good news was I fixed the imbalance (sort of) which met for me that now both hamstring’s hurting on left and right. So last year for me has been focused on getting back run health rather than fitness which are 2 different things. As I had great run fitness in 2014/15 but was not healthy due to kinks. The last 12 months the stair master and Curved Woodway helped with allowing me to use rehab same muscles which helped on bike too. Now this year with regained Run health I will try to get back my fitness and will continue to use both stair master and Woodway…

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how did I miss this?

You know I’ve been having similar problems, which have been improving piece by piece – but only realised last week that I’ve been unconsciously avoiding putting full weight – and more importantly, heel-to-toe roll – through bad leg. Started doing that deliberately, and bam, instant massive improvement in function, to where now, four days later, while walking the reflexes are kicking in near perfectly.

I’m jumping on the curve tomorrow at the gym – sounds like it’s hitting the right spot.

Congratulations! I’ll be following this thread with interest.

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how did I miss this?

You know I’ve been having similar problems, which have been improving piece by piece – but only realised last week that I’ve been unconsciously avoiding putting full weight – and more importantly, heel-to-toe roll – through bad leg. Started doing that deliberately, and bam, instant massive improvement in function, to where now, four days later, while walking the reflexes are kicking in near perfectly.

I’m jumping on the curve tomorrow at the gym – sounds like it’s hitting the right spot.

Congratulations! I’ll be following this thread with interest.

I was actually thinking about a few of the things you wrote in the other thread while on this hamster torture contraption. Literally, if I don’t weigh my bad left side, I lose balance/continuity and the thing starts slowing down. If I don’t push off properly with the posterior chain this thing comes to a dramatic slowdown. Even 10 days ago, I had a lot of difficulty moving my right leg past my left leg without the left leg going into a spasm shortly after the right femur passes the left (well, you could say, when the left one moves behind the right). I’d lose control over my left big toe. Now I can get up on the ball of my foot and push off at least to the point of a near normal non laboured gait.

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We have a couple in some of the campus gyms. Personally, I hated it when directly comparing it to the standard Woodway that’s right next to it. But your assessment of it being more difficult is consistent with what I have found. I have difficulty sustaining 5min/km on them and have no problems doing 4:30/km for long stretches on the standard type.

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I am in one on the same path of “take the time to get better and do the activity properly”. The more I think about it, ever since the 2011 crash, the entire left side has been “coming long for the ride as excess baggage” rather than providing proper propulsion and stability. My doc is partially amazed by what we athletes can do just compensating and working around stuff (well until you can’t).