EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- An impatient Shaquille O'Neal didn't follow the doctor's orders.

	O'Neal

So he paid a painful price -- at least temporarily.

O'Neal, who had surgery on his arthritic right big toe Sept. 11, spent some time running on a treadmill this week.

It was a mistake.

"I thought I wasn't supposed to run on it, but it felt good so I just wanted to try it and see what happens,'' the Los Angeles Lakers center said Wednesday. "I'll probably get yelled at by the doctor. I already got yelled at by (Lakers trainer Gary) Vitti.

"It feels pretty good today. We're just going to move on. I'm in a little pain, but nothing to worry about. I'll be back.''

O'Neal had been given permission by Dr. Robert Mohr, who performed the operation, to do some light exercises but not start running yet.

O'Neal decided to jog on the treadmill before practice Monday. The next day, he said the bottom of his foot hurt.

Because of the surgery, O'Neal might not be ready to play when the Lakers open the regular season Oct. 29 against San Antonio.

Lakers coach Phil Jackson said the team is not worried about O'Neal's toe, but emphasized that the center needs to wait to get an OK before he begins jogging again.

"We're not concerned,'' Jackson said. "We're understanding. He did go on the treadmill to kind of test it out a little bit and it spiked. But this problem will be something that he'll have to attach himself to for a couple of weeks and then it'll pass.

"Obviously we don't expect to see him on the court in the exhibition season after that little spike,'' Jackson said. "But we still think it's not that far away before Shaq will be playing.''